As most people who ever knew me pre-age 22, I was not a dog lover. In fact, I was scared to death of dogs. Then I met my husband-to-be, an absolute dog lover, and I had to change my mind.
I bought Jim a puppy for his graduation present. He was in heaven.
Unfortunately, Molly died at 9 months old. :(
rest in peace, Molly.
I took Molly's death so hard that I vowed that I would never own another dog.
Two months after Molly's death, Jim suggested that we go *just take a look* at puppies at a local adoption event. I said fine, but only to look at how none will ever live up to how awesome Molly was.
About three and a half minutes into the event, I was hooked. I wanted another puppy. Jim's plan had worked! We met and fell in love with a litter of 10 puppies and their mom, "First Lady". She was found abandoned in another state, pregnant, and in need of love. Her puppies were named after presidents and first ladies. There were three that I absolutely loved:
Franklin
Teddy
and George.
We quickly filled out the paperwork and decided that Franklin was our dog. A few days later, we had learned that he was taken. It was a phone call from Jim's sister..."you have to pick George"...that was the deciding factor. We brought George home two weeks later, and kept his name.
It was love at first sight.
Look at those eyes.
Jim headed back to grad school, and I brought puppy George home, completely by myself in my endevor. I knew nothing about raising a puppy. I was in for an adventure, one that would lead to a lifetime of closeness and bonding.
George had *one* accident inside, ever.
Matching floors in George's honor.
A pasttime he has loved since the beginning.
Even the smallest size collar does not fit baby G!!!
Anxious to get out of his little yard when I got home from work one evening.
Our first walk together. Although he hated being out of the house at the time, today this is his favorite activity.
I knew from the look of George's mom combined with his gigantic paws, that he was going to be a big boy. Before he got too large, I signed him up for puppy class. This was a lifesaver and has definitely paid off.
My little over-achiever.
Smart like his daddy.
As George started to grow, we became more and more attached at the hip.
Probably staring at a bug.
We <3 bridges.
George has been by my side through everything. I became very sick and bedridden twice since I've had him, and each time, he would not leave my bedside. Food even had to be brought to him, and usually, he'd refuse it.
Then came the time that George himself got sick. George needed surgery at 4 years old to remove a melanoma that had grown on his skin. The poor buddy was in so much pain and was having delusions after the surgery. He needed drugs to be painfree during the healing, but it would make him so loopy. The vet insisted on keeping him overnight for observations after the surgery, however, as I had predicted, when he woke up from his anesthesia, he would not stop crying. The vet called me only hours after the surgery. "He will do much better at home and with you, he is much too stressed here to recover properly." That's George for you: too concerned for Jim and me to leave us alone one night.
Hiking in the Shenandoah, and look, a bridge!
Never more than a few steps behind me.
(Does the shirt look familiar?)
Enjoying a spring afternoon.
In May, 2010. we decided to expand our fur-family and give George a friend. We gave him a sister named Sadie.
It was love at first sight, part II.
She fit into our family perfectly...
We thought for sure that George would just love and accept Sadie with open paws, like any other sibling would do....
"....AND STAY OUT!!!!"
...but George had something else in mind. He was not thrilled about sharing his home and parents with another puppy. But his heart is infact bigger than his stubborness, and he soon welcomed baby Sadie:
Busted.
Here is a list of 10 little-known facts about George:
1. He loves sitting for hours and hours, taking in mother nature, and never moving other than to sniff the fresh air.
2. He is the fastest runner that I know.
In addition to that list, I'd like to share with you just how much George puts up with.
Here is a list of the top 5 forms of abuse George puts up with from my brother Robert (pre-Army, I'm sure the list will be updated post-Army):
To be completely fair, I have to include the following photos. George does put up with a lot from me, as well:
Easier than brushing?
That laser pointer provided hours of entertainment, as George pulled me around the house, horse and carriage style.
George has so much character. He's constantly doing new things to make us laugh. Just last week, he started a new habit of winking at us every chance he gets:
take one.
and two.
three. (always the left eye.)
While George has only been in my life for 4 1/2 years so far, he has certainly changed more than I ever could have imagined. He greets me with a smile each day when I arrive home. He insists on snuggling up as.close.as.possible to me at night, which sometimes includes sleeping partially mostly on top of me. He's extremely protective of me, of my emotions, and of our family.
Sadie has joined him on his extra-long list of best friends. If George had things his way, the world would be made of peanut butter, squirrels would run a *tiny* bit slower, and Robert, Julia, Morgan, Sean, etcccc... would all live next door to us.
I love you little buddy! Thank you for being my best friend!
