Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Blessings To My Husband - the Pack Leader

I just adore my husband. I usually sprinkle in little tidbits about him in my pet blog, but today I want to give him public praise, for without him, I would not be who I am today. Plus, I wouldn't have had the two lovable pets I've had since we married. And thus no blog to write.

For you gals out there who have good, caring, responsible husbands, give them a big hug and do something extra special for them today. Sometimes we can take these gems for granted. My hubby is a bread-winner, bill-writer, cook, counsellor, friend, accountant, dog walker, planner, lover, nurse...well, the list just goes on and on! He takes it upon himself to do nice things for me that he knows I like - such as his cooking. One of my favorite things is when he says he will take care of dinner. I swear, there can be a can of beans and some fruit in the cubbard and the main can whip up a miracle meal. The way he takes care of me and puppy is so endearing. I just don't know what we would do without him. And he can read me and my moods, God love him. Although I tell him every day just how much I love him, sometimes words need to be emphasized with actions.


I know my hubby's favorites too, and I try never to get lax with these things. Right now, one of his BIG favs is Chief. While loving and playing with Chief is so easy, caring for him is more time-consuming and can be tiring. J takes the brunt of puppy's care, especially taking him in the mornings. Those cold, cold, dark mornings when he has to play ball and walk Chief. Did I mention it's cold and dark? And winter hasn't even begun yet - we're talking snow and ice yet. Brrrrr! J took so much time and effort researching what type of dog to get us, mainly for my protection (so he says...), but when it comes to puppy's care, J has stepped up and is an outstanding Pack leader.


If my best friend is reading this, be assured I also know many of your other favorites. I will be sure to do these things for you as you so unselfishly do mine for me. You have taught me not just about love, but support and giving. I hope I have done the same for you. I hope you know how proud you make me. I hope you know that I realize just how much you give of yourself to me (and Chief).


I know if puppy could put his two-cents in this note, it would be all about playing ball - but it would be about playing ball with his best friend J. That sums up the love of a pet for his master. Something Chief and I have in common.








Tuesday, November 11, 2008

After a Long Break, I'm Back




At the encouragement of my hubby, I'm back doing the blogging thing. I let a whole summer and much of the fall pass by without updating my blog about our puppy progress, and the 1 year anniversary of my sweet Hobby's passing.
Summer was pretty great. I really got to bond with Chief. He has grown into a very handsome, sleek dog. His sweet personality has also emerged. I think over these past months, Chief has come to accept and understand that J and I are his "pack". He listens and obeys better with each passing week, so now both parents are more settled. While he's still only a year and a half, he tries to test us with little tantrums of barking and stubburn refusal to obey the simplest commands. But, we follow the "Dog Whisperer" way of being calm and assertive with him, and eventually it works. I can see how people get frustrated and deal with their pets out of anger, but you just can't get angry. It's best to step away and calm down for a minute if puppy is acting up, which I admit I've done on more than a few occasions. What can I say? He's a head-strong dog, and he's very manipulative. But, that's also the breed. Malinois are working, smart dogs and we know we can never let up on his training. I'm loading a few recent pics of the boy for any of my friends and family who want to see our handsome guy.
As you can see by these two pictures, I like J's big fluffy green chair. Chief usually comes to love on me when he really wants to me to go out and play ball. So, if he doesn't get his way with some gentle loving, he'll sit his big furry britches in my lap. It's not as comfortable as it looks. The picture on the right shows just how big he has gotten (and him trying to take a toy I had put out of his reach). He's all muscle; lean and ripped. We have to feed him around 5-6 cups of food/day. With all the activity he gets, he can lose weight very easily.
I guess you could say much of our at-home time is invested in this furry critter. But we are a Pack now. We love and rely on each other, and I'm not just talking about how Chief relies on me or J. J and I rely just as much on each other. If one of the Pack is having a bad day, it's almost a sure bet that one of the other members can help in some way. On a weary day when I can't imagine having to come home and exercise or play with puppy because I'm just so tired, all it takes is a shy, bashful glance from his chocolate-brown puppy eyes to warm me up. A little tap of the tail to let me know he's happy I'm home (albeit just to let him out of the crate and play ball)... Still, he's helped me recover from the loss of my most loved cat, Hobbes. I'm not 100% over it, but I can rejoice in knowing my Pack has my back.