Once upon a time, we had a dog named Dusty, the Angel Pup, who, with his pal, Little Dipper, filled our hearts and our days with happiness. In August, 2012, Little Dipper passed away and in August 2013, Dusty went off to heaven to join her. The next day my beloved, retired husband, Mark, spent a full day in the house without a pup. And that was all he could take. He was on the Internet looking for a pup the same mix as Dusty and Little Dipper–Lhasa Apso mixed with Bichon Frise. Soon Mark found this black and white pup.
We drove from Michigan to Pennsylvania to look at the pups, and when he froze–absolutely terrified–we asked if he had a sibling. Out came his brother who made everything okay. We brought both pups home, get the black and white pup on August 24 and had a contest to name the pups , the winners of which received a free, autographed copy of my humorous, touching memoir, Something Furry Underfoot. The winning names were Winston and Snickers.
The pups have been with us about five months and I can honestly say getting both of them was the best thing we’ve ever done. From their perspective, having a sibling nearby probably made it easier to leave their mom and other siblings and travel cross-country with two strange people. Getting used to the noises of the average suburban home–like the dishwasher, the squeak of the front door, and cars driving by the house–was probably easier with a brother around, as was going to the vet and the groomer.
From my perspective, coming home from work and being greeted by two happy pups is awesome. Snickers likes to get picked up and gives me an old-fashioned greeting.
Winston prefers to give what we call a “nose nib,” which is a super gentle nibble on the nose.
The puppies also remind me to have fun, which has been really import an during this very long winter.
And for Mark, the pups are the best companions a retired guy could have.
So thanks for coming home with us pups and making our lives full up again.
For more tips and factoids about dogs and other pets, check out Something Furry Underfoot, my humorous, touching memoir about raising frogs, iguanas, hedgehogs, ferrets, hamsters, gerbils, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, a stray cat, mynah birds and tropical fish.