Our doggies are undoubtedly one of the biggest part of our lives together. Matthew and I spend so much time loving on these two lucky pups and they, in return, give us so many fun memories and laughable moments.
Lucy, our puggle pup, is about 2 years old and arguably one of the most unique-looking puggles. She is also ultra-loyal and protective- of Matt and I. We got Lucy in September of 2007 while living in Columbus during my senior year at Ohio State. She was just a little tiny thing when we got her... and a COMPLETE daddy's girl. At the time, Matt was home most of the time with her because it was the off-season, so, he was spending the most time with her. And she spent her days glued to his side, just loving any little bit of attention he gave to her- and he tended to give her a lot! She was a little hellion to potty-train but once she got it down, she became a pro. We've now got her trained to ring a bell that hangs from our front door to let us know when she needs to go out...
When Matt left for the season in late February of 2008, Lucy was devastated. She spent 2 weeks under the bed, wondering where the man in her life had gone. It was near impossible to get her to eat and every time the front door would open, Lucy would race to greet the incomer, hoping it was her daddy. It was heartbreaking to witness. It made Matthew being away a lot harder for me too...
Their reunion at the end of spring training was glorious for both of them and Lucy has now become very accustomed to the baseball lifestyle with all its long car rides, goodbyes, and sweet, sweet homecomings.
Gusgus, almost 1 year old, is our beagle puppy who we decided to get during our last off-season (2008). I adopted Gus from the Kentucky Humane Society in November of last year while Matt was playing winter ball in Venezuela. We decided to get a second dog because we thought it would be a good thing for Lucy to have another dog around to keep her company and help burn off some of her excess energy.
Gus was QUITE a handful in his beginnings with our little family. He was peeing every 20 minutes and drinking more water than you'd ever think a small beagle like him could handle. We discovered in late February, after a visit to the animal ER in the middle of the night, that Gus had a kidney problem. The vet told us it was the worst she'd ever seen in a young dog and that Gus probably would not live much longer. It was absolutely awful news and even harder to break to Matt, who was already in Florida for spring training. Matt had full faith, however, that HIS dog would be okay and somehow beat these odds. We put Gus on a special kidney diet which totally stopped the peeing all the time and he has been kicking ever since. He shows no signs of slowing down and we haven't had any problems with him. Its almost as if the problem just disappeared. It truly was a miracle for Gusgus.
He is now, a normal, super-hyper beagle pup that keeps Lucy (and me) on her toes for sure!
Our doggies are living the good life, no doubt. They run around the apartment all day chasing each other then plop down in a comfortable spot on the bed, couch, or cold tile whenever they desire a break. I walk them for an hour almost everyday and they love every minute of it. We walk down by the river here in Louisville and they LOVE to take a dip and lap some water at their special spots on the path.
They are very social pups- they love meeting other dogs and are not shy to play around with new dogs they meet. Its actually pretty funny how much they take after us- sounds silly but Lucy has characteristics like me and Gus has characteristics like Matt. Lucy is the first one up in the morning ready to get going with her morning routine, licking our faces and jumping off the bed wanting to go outside. While Gus will sleep in all morning until you tell him its time to get up and get going... pretty much the way Matt and I work :) Lucy is also the one who is a little more uptight about things... barking at anything thats moving outside the window and always wanting to be involved with whatever is going on in our home. Gus is more laid back and kinda just goes with the flow of things. Lucy likes to lead the way on our walks and keeps a fast pace while her brother often lags behind and has to be pulled along to walk faster... again, a lot like the way Matt and I operate.
Lucy will always be the baby, even though she is older than Gus. She sleeps with us... nestled under the covers at the bottom of the bed while Gus sprawls in his spacious crate during the night.
Having Lucy and Gus has totally changed my life. It has really transformed me into a more selfless individual because of the time and love that I chose to give to my animals. After getting a dog, you realize that you can't sleep in til you want, you can't pick up and travel at a moment's notice, you can't be out til all hours of the night because of the responsibility you have to your dog(s). Much of your time and energy is devoted to loving your dog- as it should be. I know Matt feels the same way and it has really strengthened our relationship (even though in moments of stress with Lucy or Gus it felt like it might be the end of us... hahaha).
It also has helped us see that as much as we are excited about having kids someday, we do not want to have them for a while yet. Having 2 dogs is just enough for us right now. We really want to be able to enjoy the first couple years of our marriage together and grow in our love together, travel and try new things together. We want to share experiences that are special just between the two of us before diving into the adventure and responsibilities of caring for another human being.
For right now, our little family is complete. And right now, we wouldn't change a thing.
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