Who Lives Here: Scout and Daisy
We have a number of pets, but the two largest are Scout and Daisy, our dogs. We don't do dainty dogs here (at least not right now).
We adopted Daisy ten years ago on Labor Day from the North Shore Animal League in New York. She was a fabulous first dog...smart and easy to train. She is relatively well behaved and only digs in a few spots in the garden (mostly under the plant table) to expose cool dirt to sleep in. We didn't have a hard time keeping her out of the garden beds either, as long as they are planted, otherwise, it's a free for all.
Now she's our "old lady" and has arthritis and has gone through one knee surgery. Luckily, it's all pretty under control. The only real differences we see on a regular basis, is she doesn't like to walk around on our bed and sleep with us.
Daisy likes to keep her treasures close and takes all her good stuff to her bed. She has outgrown this behavior to a point, but she hasn't completely outgrown it. As you can see below she has a bit of a collection going: a rawhide chew stick, a horn, and an avocado that fell out of a shopping bag that she thought was a ball. We let her keep it until bedtime. Now days she mostly stashes real balls and treats.
Daisy loves: cheese, back scratches, running, balls, squirrels, her
Daisy hates: baths, delivery people, outdoor cats that aren't hers, nail trims, and vegetables.
About two and a half years ago, we decided that Daisy needed a friend and started looking for a second dog. We figured that it might take a while to find another dog as great as Daisy who got along with Daisy too. After visiting a few shelters we found one the first day looking.
Six month old Scout came home with us the next day. We let him (and Daisy) run in the backyard and he fell into the pool. We learned he could swim and Scout got his first bath that evening. Luckily he was a great dog, very exuberant and all feet, but so great. When he first arrived, he loved to carry things around in the his month. Empty nursery pots and pumpkins from the compost pile were his favorites. We had an entire crop of random pumpkins and gourds planted by this guy for the next two summers. He is rather fond of "aggressive snuggling" and his 62 pounds of love can practically knock you off the couch.
He was house-trained in no time, which was great because we had our daughter about three weeks after getting him. They are buddies and he is "Her Scout", not to be confused with "Her Daisy"...If asked, she will tell you that all the animals are hers.
Scout loves: toys, cheese, walks, outside, people, squirrels, naps, rough-housing, licking people/things and snuggling.
Scout hates: nothing as long as his people are with him
Not exactly sure how to wrap up this post, other than to say, my dogs are awesome and you should all be jealous that you don't get to sweep up their hair on a regular basis.
Aw! You're so lucky to have found such wonderful dogs as companions to our family. I have to admit, though, I'm not a dog person, I'm really a cat person. I couldn't help noticing a kitty in that second to last picture of Scout. I hope the kitty will get a post of their own.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, Shoes (our cat) will eventually get his own post.
DeleteScout and Daisy look like sweet and fun companions! As for the sweeping up of hair, I've given up and simply name the dust bunnies it forms - makes for lots more pets!
ReplyDeleteLove it. I swear there is so much hair some times of the year I could actually create another pet.
DeleteI AM jealous. They're adorable and I can tell that they bring you a great deal of joy. Although I've had cats (just one at the moment) for years, my husband has drawn the line when it comes to dogs. All I can say is that, unlike me, he came from a no-pet family. He's even argued that we should alternate cat and no-cat periods but he'll never win that one and he knows it.
ReplyDeleteAt one point we had four cats. We are down to one and he is very very old. After he leaves us we plan on taking a cat break for a while, but I don't think we couldn't have a no pet period. It would be too strange in the house.
DeleteReading about Daisy and Scout had me reminiscing about the days when we had dogs. Definitely no dainty dogs for us, either! Our largest weighed in at 110 pounds! Our pets have enriched our lives so much over the years. They are all gone now and I miss them, but I confess that maintaining the garden is easier without their help!
ReplyDeleteI can totally believe that it would be easier.
DeleteA sweet heartfelt post. Your last statement made me giggle.
ReplyDeleteWhat cutie pies they are! No dogs here, just one indoor cat and four ferals (the house came with 15! I had them all spayed and neutered at a free/low cost clinic and now only 4 are left). We had another indoor cat, Samson, but he crossed the rainbow bridge three weeks before F was born.
ReplyDeleteI've been on the fence about getting a dog. Love them, just like being able to travel light and not have to worry about them at home or camping with us. Maybe someday!
Dogs are great, but you can't leave them for expended periods of time like a cat. We take ours with us camping and board them for longer trips. 15 ferals is a lot. My in-laws feed some in their backyard, but never 15 at once. There population seems to stay around 4-6 at a time thank goodness.
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