Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Life update - Dogs and Dreams

Hello friends, It's been a few months so I felt it was high time to post a little life update.

Let's jump right in.

We got a new dog. As you know we've had Winston for almost 3 years now. He is the doggy love of my life. I never used to like dogs because i would always sneeze and itch around them. Turned out I just needed a hypoallergenic pooch. Once I got Win I was super freaked out, not knowing if i'd be able to love and care for him like i should. About two weeks after getting him I knew we were soulmates. I kind of had a grinch moment where my heart grew 10 sizes and i would forever be a dog lover after that. So i thought i would have no trouble getting a new dog, a second dog, a doggy bestie for Winston. But the same thing happened. I had a freak out moment right after we got Charlie.

So what started this whole second dog thing was my sister had a friend with a puppy in need. This sweet little nugget had been abandoned at the door of her friends home. I texted Tom and asked what he thought. Tom was on board instantly. We both had wanted to get another dog for a while so that Winston wouldn't be by himself so much. Unfortunately and fortunately the doggy found another home with another family. We were a bit heartbroken because we'd fallen in love with his sweet little face but now we knew that we were ready for that new addition.

Fast forward about two weeks later where we found a rescue nearby that had a dog named Charlie. Charlie is an approximately 3 year old maltese mix. He is white and fluffy and simply adorable. He's also completely blind. So as we were going over his file we had to decide if we were ready to not only take on a new dog but to take on a special dog. We didn't think on it for too long, we were smitten.

So we went to the rescue, met Charlie and took him home same day. I remember driving home with Charlie on Tom's lap and i just kept thinking to myself how much i already loved him. He was precious!!

Then we got him home..........and introduced him to Winston.......and i don't know if i was expecting a sweet bonding moment but that's not what happened.

Winston went full alpha and there were a few fights. A few fights between the dogs tore me apart. I thought we had made a huge mistake, i was sure that they hated each other and that we'd be dealing with fights on a daily basis. My heart cannot take doggy fights. Winston was attacked by a big lab on one of our walks and i have never been able to get over it. After I got Winston inside after the attack I was sobbing, on my knees just completely heart broken. Winston was 100% fine and so was the other dog but i was forever changed in that moment. I thought he was being ripped apart in front of me and the sound of the growling and squealing has just never left me. So these little fights between Charlie and Winston just killed me, i could not handle it. So every time it happened i would cry and ask Tom if it was all a mistake because i was so doubtful and then Tom, that sweet, strong guy had to basically tell me i was being crazy and that it was fine and that dogs fight and they get to know each other in weird ways and HE WAS RIGHT. So right. I was way way emotional and should have just chilled out.

Let me just say, never in a million years would we consider taking Charlie back. That wasn't even an option. We knew we might just have to work on some training, mostly with Winston. The issue wasn't coming from Charlie, it was all Winston. So we started working with him on his behavior and things started getting better pretty quickly.

And now I wouldn't say that they're besties but they definitely don't hate each other and the fights have stopped all together. Yay!!!

Winston still gets growly when Charlie tries to get on the couch with us but it never leads to anything and we always tell him off.

Now, Charlie is seriously one of the most precious little doggies. He's used to our apartment and rarely bumps into things anymore. He knows where his food and water are at and he has his own little bed for sleeping. He is the funniest player, he bounces up about an inch off the ground and just spins. He spins and bounces, spins and bounces. It's so funny. I need to get a video.



He loves treats, going on walks, wrestling with Tom, tickles, naps. I mean he's perfect.

When we go on walks we tell him up or down when he's coming up to a curb. It's so cute because when we say up he will take his leg and look for a step! I love it and him and i'm so happy we have him in our family.

Dreams include Christmas in the UK 2018. I told Tom's mum that we would be there this year and my heart is broken that we won't be able to. Money is lame.

Another dream is to move into a house with a yard for our dogs. I think I want a house more for my dogs than for myself. I want them to have a nice yard to play in and the apartment life is just not as good for them. I can't lie though, i also want a house! I've been on realtor's app everyday looking at houses for sale. The problem is we're in debt and can't make a down payment. Ha! It all comes together.

A problem with the whole house thing is I don't love the look of the houses in the Dallas Fort-Worth area. I have a house style in mind that i can't find here. PLUS the price of homes is crazy right now. I just can't fathom buying a home i'm not in love with. So we've got some things to consider. Do you know what state has cute affordable houses?...Georgia...You know another location that has cute homes?? The UK! Ha! But before we could ever even think about moving to Georgia or the UK we have to pay off debt so we can save money.

Speaking of the UK I just realized i haven't blogged about our trip to Wales in June or when Tom's family came to Texas in July.



i might surprise you with two blog posts published within days of each other. It's getting crazy around here. Ha!

Thanks for reading all of my ramblings. Be back soon!