Thursday, September 29, 2011

Woof.

I always wanted a terrier. Like a Schnauzer. Or maybe a Westie. Something small, with a lotta attitude.

What dog sits like this?
And while I've always liked all kinds of dogs, big dogs never really registered for me. I found them all rather...boring. Sure, my very first dog Sargent was a German Shepherd. But I can barely remember the sandwich I had for lunch today, let alone the personality characteristics of my first childhood dog.

Jay too has always loved dogs. He just didn't want one of his own. He didn't want the poop, the hassle, the vet bills.  Some may say he's a cheap 'n lazy guy (not me. I wouldn't say that) but I subtly persisted. A cute little email attachment of the "dog of the day" from the humane society. Then another of a sweet pup from Kijiji (I know; damn puppy mills; they always post such stupid cute pictures to reel you in). Jay politely acknowledged them, and then ran away (figuratively, not literally). Of course I was doing this under the guise of "It's Good For The Children". Sparing you a lot of gory detail, he eventually conceded to going to the humane society for a look. He forewarned me: "A LOOK. That's all this is. You got that?"

The place was an echo chamber; a cacophony of barking mania.  Dogs jumping feverishly; desperate for attention. Desperate to leave. Yet there she was. A lazy ole lump, laying quietly on her bed. She wasn't small, but she wasn't big either. She looked like an experiment from Honey, I Shrunk the Dog.  I quietly called her name through the glass. Her big brown eyes connected with mine. Her excitement was detectable only by the tiniest of wiggles in her lower back half.

He tried to deny it. But from the moment he patted her giant head, Jay knew he was in trouble. Even more so when on the car ride home we awarded him the "winner" of the dog-naming contest.

Olive-the-Other-Reindeer ("Olive" for short) was welcomed into our clan on November 27, 2009 and we've been wagging our tails ever since.

Those paws seem impossibly large for such a small dog

Staring down a squirrel
Who me? No, I did NOT just attempt to eat the cat. Honest.

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