Image by Laura Ketteman

Image by Laura Ketteman

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Day 17. Sweet Mandy.

This post is specifically for my wonderful, eldest child.  He happened upon this blog the other day, and found my post from when Ellie came home after her surgery.  He was humorously offended at my comments that Mandy is not exactly the "pretty one" between our two doggies.  So, I decided to try to make up for it a little.  :)  (Love you, Buddy!)

The story begins like this...  I am NOT a dog person.  How I've stumbled into a life with TWO, is beyond my comprehension.  But it's true!  And I have plenty of friends and family who will attest to the fact, that I am not the biggest fan of dogs.  Oh, I have nothing against them, of course.  But in a house where I'm doing well to keep up with the five PEOPLE who live here, why would I voluntarily welcome critters into the mix?  Two words:  my children.

It all began a few years ago, when my mother in law got a new puppy around Thanksgiving.  (She, by the way, is a HUGE fan of dogs.)  My baby had just turned two.  I didn't figure I would live my life without dogs, but I did put my foot down on having a puppy before I had children out of diapers.  Well, that didn't happen either.  Sheesh.  My oldest child fell in love with this puppy named Penny.  Seeing his interaction with her just melted my mommy heart, and impulsively, I requested my mother in law's help to find us a puppy for Christmas.  She saw her window, and got to work immediately.  Before I knew it, we were welcoming home little Mandy that Christmas (she was affectionately named by my oldest, after a little girl in his class at the time).

It was NOT all peaches and roses at the beginning.  It was just as I'd expected, actually.  She was one more thing to care for in the mix of my hectic life, and the issue was that I HARDLY had the affection and love for her that I do my children, hence making her messes around my home a lot less tolerable!  She was such a pill!  Horrible to potty train (let alone the fact that I was potty training my youngest child in the process, and that only made it even MORE difficult!  I was up to my elbows in... ICK!)!  But the weeks turned into months, and finally years... and here we are now.  She just turned three years old, and has actually become an essential part of the family.  I've even grown to realize what everyone else tried to bring to my attention all along, that she's really a very good dog.  She adores my kids.  She rarely gets into trouble, and yes, she is even 98% potty trained.  (The other 2% is reserved for the times that it's pouring rain outside, and will not go outside unless I walk her out there with an umbrella... and sometimes she just can't hold it any longer!)

Yes, Mandy is here to stay.  She warms the heart of us all.  She warmly greets my husband when he comes home from work in the evening, and she keeps my little boy company in his room, every night as I tuck him into bed.  She's a good girl.

She even holds her own with the new puppy, who outweighs her by 22 pounds!

These are the kinds of gifts that the "evil one" leaves for us. This is my back porch. I never know WHAT I may find there. Here's the kicker... I asked for this one ALL ON MY OWN!

...but look at that sweet, beautiful face!!!!  We just need to wait out the puppy in her.  She's a good girl, too, in her own, special "happy, happy, hop, hop, bounce, bounce, JOY, JOY!" way.  :)

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ilLaurastrations Photography began in Spring of 2009.