(Wo)Man's Best Friend

My doggies think I'm funny. They don't care how I look, if I showered this morning, or what I'm typing on the computer. They don't care if I make a lot of money, or drive a fancy car. What they do care about is if I'm willing to go for a walk or toss the ball, if I have treats ready and waiting when they come through the door, and who gets to snuggle closer on my bed. That goes for the lot of us. We are dog people.

My first dog was rescued from a pound when I was about 8-years-old. He was a German shepherd/collie mix that was mostly brown with droopy ears. We didn't know what to name him, so as we were driving home in my dad's Monte Carlo, my dad (or maybe it was mum), named him Monty. If I remember correctly, we had two other dogs come in and out of our lives during my childhood, a few cats too, but the dogs ruled. I couldn't wait to get a dog when I grew up. That day finally came when my son turned 5 and we got him a black lab/border collie mix for Christmas. Santa actually named him Smokey after another dog from my childhood—my aunt and uncle's loyal black lab. Both of them were great dogs and I can still remember everything about our Smokey. My son grew up with that dog and he will always hold a special place in our hearts.

I wasn't quite ready to replace Smokey, as if I could, but a friend of mine told me that the local shelter had just rescued a group of dogs from down south and one just happened to be a border collie. 

My husband and the girls had been talking about getting another dog for a while and kept quiet until I mentioned visiting the humane society just to "take a look". Who was I kidding? There he was, a tan and white bundle of energy that really wanted out of his room. So after spending the afternoon getting to know him, we took him home and a new chapter had begun. 

Cooper is a quiet dog, as most border collies are, but he has a unique way about him. He cuddles and snuggles, but on his terms. He's fiercely loyal and super smart (again, as most border collies are), and loves to tug on ropes.

Dante loves to hang out with us. No matter what we're doing, he wants in on the action. When we first rescued him, he wouldn't let me out of his sight. Siberian huskies have separation anxiety issues which I knew nothing about having never owned a husky before. If I left the house, he had to leave the house, so he went on a lot of car rides. Thank goodness I work mostly from home. He loves to run and he loves to just be with us. The colder the weather, the happier he is and don't let me get started about the snow—New Hampshire is the perfect place for him. 

The two dogs didn't get along at first. Cooper wanted nothing to do with him. I felt so bad for both of them. Dante just wanted to play all the time and Cooper wanted him out of the house—pronto. It took some time, but now they are brothers, although I think Cooper would still rather be the top dog.