It’s A Tough Dog Life

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They are like two peas in a pod. Siblings, not by blood or breed, but by fortune. We, the humans living with them under the same roof are actually the fortunate ones. Our adopted fury babies ended up in the right house and we are grateful.

I was debating if I should photoshop the picture and cover Vader’s privates up with something man-made and silly, but I decided against it. There is nothing wrong with nature, it’s us, and how some of us react to it, that’s wrong, that’s at least my humble opinion. I am a farm girl, I am not easily shocked by nature -only human behavior can do that.

Not a day goes by when our dogs make us smile. The special smile that starts in your heart, shows on your lips and makes your eyes sparkle. Both of our dogs are rescues, neither one of them was planned, it just happened. The white dog, Patches, the pitbull mix, will be eight years old on May 5th. Vader, the Beagleman will be two years old, which will make him officially an adult. The 5th of May is an estimated day, a date we chose as the birthday of both dogs because the real date is unknown. Vader marched into our home on August 5th, 2022. The day before he had been found abandoned in a sink in the maintenance room of an apartment complex. He was approximately twelve weeks old then, which puts the date of his birth in May.

We will celebrate a double-doggy birthday this weekend with a special treat. They will share a rib-eye steak that had been hiding in the back of our freezer for too long.

The way they sleep together, isn’t it the cutest thing? We have another gigantic 47″ long dog bed in the same room. It stays vacant most of the evenings.

Our Patches has anxiety issues. She is a pitbull mix. She had been born in the wrong house, a place owned by humans who didn’t care about animals or their own kind. Most of the puppies were too small, so they decided to sell them as bait dogs to people who still arrange dog fights, even though they are forbidden. The house was filthy, the yard and the people matched. They wanted $200 for all the puppies to get their car fixed, I talked them down to $75 because it was the only cash I had in my purse. The rescue organization I occasionally volunteer for took the rest of the puppies. I grabbed Patches and never let her go. Pressed her on my chest, fleas and all, she gave me the first kiss, and from that moment on she was ours – and it wasn’t debatable. That was in 2016, also in August.

Our two older dogs were smitten with her right from the start, and they protected her and pampered her until the day they died.

The first one, Leia, our 14-year-old Weimaraner moved on in 2021, our Norman, then 17 years old, followed in February 2022.

All of a sudden Patches was an only dog and even though she was seven years old, almost a senior dog, she was still filled with anxiety. She looked lost in the evenings and looked at us like she was wondering what she was supposed to do. It was obvious, she didn’t like being alone, and while it was still too early for us to even consider getting another dog, she forced us to do so.

Then a phone call from one of my helpers, they had found a puppy in a sink, the rest is history. Vader walked into our home and Patches became the older sibling. Her anxiety is now almost gone, I suppose taking care of a little puppy will do that. She has shown bravery and has come out of her shell over the last two years. She is showing off now, and copies Vader in many ways, which is amusing to watch. Taking Vader in was the perfect ‘medicine’ for all of us. We stopped grieving, and smile now when we talk about the dogs we have lost. There are so many stories to tell, and so many beautiful memories to share.

Vader, the back sleeper, the gentle giant, the ball player, the storyteller, the special pet that makes us smile every day, he has healed us all.

Just when they sleep, he still touches her, because sometimes she still shakes a bit. His touch, his paws on her back, make her feel safe, that’s what she needs and I have a feeling he does too.

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He ‘parks’ his ball on my work surface when he thinks it’s time to play. Who could I resist?

No, they don’t have a tough life, but they sure had a bad start – both of them.