My husband says everyone loves babies and puppy dogs. I think he’s right. What a shame they grow up
to be dogs and teenagers and can learn to talk back or rather, bark back! Often
I have heard that at two years, dogs quit being puppies. Kinda odd how people throw out definitive timelines
like that. Do you know you are
ineligible for the Newlywed Game after 2 years?
Yeah, like everything is figured out by then and you know everything about
the other person already! People are not
like dogs, they surprise you more. Dogs are there for you when the rest of the
world is too busy with stuff.
My puppy turns two this month. Minus the first 8 weeks she
was with the breeder, all that time she has been with us. And it has been a whirlwind of fun and love
for the most part. Of all the dogs I have owned, this is easily the best one,
behavior-wise and listens the best. Oh, that does not mean all the time or she
wouldn’t be a dog now would she?
As she celebrates in a few days turning 2, the memories of
Tessie grabbing shoes, accidents (though few!) and running from bath time come easily
to mind. They now are replaced by adult
dog behavior, the list of nots, things she does not do:
- Not getting in the refrigerator when the door is open
- Not grabbing clothes when drawers are left ajar
- Not joining me in the shower if the door is open accidentally
- Not counter-serving to see if there is something better up there than in the dog bowl
- Not biting during playtime
And yet why do I find myself somewhat missing them, or at least the sight of a tiny puppy verses the long-legged creature I now have? With hair in her eyes that always wear a sad expression no matter how happy she is, well, Tess is a mess. Grooming her myself, every 4-5 weeks and that hair of hers still gets ahead of me constantly needing cut, trimmed, brushed or just overall groomed! As a puppy, her hair didn’t grow as fast and there wasn’t as much there to manage.
Now I find myself remembering the day we brought her home to
our home to make it her home, you follow? She was loving but whimpering
something she only does now when her feelings are hurt. It’s all relative too
because hurt, in her mind is, “I’m on the leash, there is a potential new best
friend over there, four legged or two, and I need to be free to greet them my exuberant
way!”
So in the end, I suppose with Tessie turning two, many will consider
her non-puppy. With her quirky
personality and classic labradoodle looks, she is something special. As she hops on my lap still convinced she is
small enough to sit there though I feel pinned down, I lovingly hold her and will
continually call her ‘puppy’ well beyond
this month!
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| Tessie |
