My Dogs

I wasn't always a dog lover. I always liked dogs, but I never imagined there would be a day when I would actually look forward to two mutts jumping up in bed with me in the am and giving me kisses.
It all started when my boyfriend (now soon to be hubby, in 67 days to be exact) decided that we should go out to the dog show at the Agricenter after viewing a piece about it on the news. We ended up at the MSHS later that day where Jon first laid eyes on Coco (now Zinny, our lab/ dobie mix). He kept on and on about her so we asked if we could see her. The romantic in Jon will tell you that she "fell into his arms". When in actuality, this poor little girl was so thrilled to get out of her kennel and away from the 2 other dogs that she sort of fell over on him. But I like his story better.
So, Coco (Zinny) was adopted a week later by us.
Now, I have NEVER had a dog as a pet. I was a cat girl. I had always had cats. I loved cats. They were low key, they only needed somewhere to sleep, a little food, and somewhere to potty. They didn't need to be taken for walks, or made a big fuss when another animal entered the yard. I was used to a quiet house with quiet kitties. Loud barking is still something I have to get used to.
Jon, the fiancé, grew up with dogs. His grandparents had them and his uncle. He knew all about how loud and destructive they could be. Little did he warn me? Thanks, dear.
So we got Zinny, she lived with me in my little town house. I took her for walks, I fed her, I took her to the vet, i had crying fits when she wouldn't stop whining after we had just done a 3 mile walk and she had been fed and it was time for bed. I put her doggy bed on the floor at the foot of my bed. There was NO WAY a dog was going to sleep in my bed! That worked for a few nights. Then, in the middle of the night, she would sneak up on the bed. At first it was right on the edge of the foot, and then slowly, night after night she crept all the way up to me. I guess this is how she won me over...slowly and patiently.
We got Boone (the Coon Hound) the following 4th of July weekend. We were now living at Jon's and thought Zinny might need a playmate. Boone's transition wasn't quite as pleasant as Zinny's. First, he was about 20 pounds under weight when we got him. So we tried to fatten him up with healthy, richly nutritious dog food. This just made him sick and he pooped all over the place. So we got that settled and he started putting on weight. Then his wonderful hound personality came out. He got into everything, jumped through CLOSED windows, pulled down tools, tore up the carpet; you name it, he did it. I came home almost every day to find a blood trail leading to Boone who had cut his nose, cut his paw, cut his ear...It wasn't going well.
I would try to walk both dogs and would end up on the sidewalk crying. I couldn't get him to pay attention, leave things alone or listen to a word I said. Boone's bad behavior started to reflect badly on Zinny. She started acting out. Zinny, who was always a good dog, started to tear things up, dig holes and disobey.
I was seriously at my wit's end with Boone. Then, like clockwork, he started to obey, or we started giving in. He was calmer, wasn't getting into stuff as often and was "decent" on walks. I don't remember when it happened or how, it just finally clicked. Not only were Jon and I getting along better with each other and the dogs, but Boone and Zinny started to play and enjoy each other's company.
So, just shy of 2 years of the beginning of my dog companionship, I can honestly say I don't know where I would be without my love bugs. Sure walks are sometimes tumultuous, Zinny likes to bark at nothing in the middle of the night and every once in a while Boone will destroy something of mine. But, overall, I look back at these growing pains and they make me laugh and I carry a little bit of wisdom with me.
I love my puppies and can't live without them. I hope to inspire people to care for their dogs as best they can and to spread that to others. I hope one day to have the shelters out of business and great homes to all those very deserving (albeit bumpy road) pets. Those 4 legged (and sometimes 3 legged) friends of ours are really worth getting up for and getting those slobbery kisses.