Life Of A Blogger #2

Weekly feature created by Jessi at Novel Heartbeats to discuss one non-bookish topic per week. For more information about this feature click here?

This week’s topic: Pets

My pooches:

Chance (AKA Sir Chancealot) was the first dog I got once I moved out on my own. I didn’t pick him, more of he picked me. My mom had him and was going to give him away and he literally climbed a fence to follow me, so problem solved. I can never for the life of me remember his age. I want to say he’s 9 or 10. He’s a full blooded Pomeranian, with AKC registration, so if I pestered my mother enough I could find out for sure. I know we aren’t supposed to play favorites, but he’s definitely my least favorite. He’s yippy and annoying and I’m more of a big dog person. He’s more my husband’s dog than mine.

Bach (AKA Mr Fluff or Fat Ass) is a Chow-German Shepard mix. My old dog/my dad’s dog Beethoven was a bit of a dog slut and Bach is from one of his many liters. The puppies were in at a house down the street and the owner of the female demanded that we help give them away. I did my part by taking one. It wasn’t hard to pick. I had originally planned to take the only black pup of the liter, but Bach walked up to me and looked just fucking like Beethoven and I was in love. So, on June 27, 2008 I brought him home. The name Bach was an attempt to keep the with B composer names. It suits him, I think. He’s the only dog I have that I named. He’s since grown into an adorable adult, displaying what my husband likes to refer to as “Hallmark cuteness.” He’s very friendly and loves to be scratched. He sighs like a human when I get on his nerves.
Bach as a puppy:

Bach full grown:

Annabella (AKA Bella, Annabelle, & Lady Grump) is the last addition to my home. She is a rescue. On August 24, 2009 someone literally left her in the parking lot of a convenience store my mom used to work at. She has severe aggression issues and always shies away from anyone she isn’t comfortable going anywhere near her head, as if she used to be hit there a lot. We initially called animal control to take her away, but the animal control agent begged us to keep her. He played with her a little with the thick dog handling gloves and determined that, though she does bite, she doesn’t bite hard. He even took his gloves off and handled her bare-handed to prove the point. Instead of applying pressure with her teeth, it’s more like she’s holding your hand to prevent contact she doesn’t approve of. He didn’t want to take her because he knew they’d put her to sleep. So, sucker that I am, I brought her home with me. She’s a Shar Pei mix with a lot of personality. She has a lot of skin problems. She had a nasty case of Mange when we got her and has gotten two yeast infections since, which also makes her lose her fur. And makes her even grumpier. Though she is far from people friendly, she is very affectionate with those of us she deems worthy. She spends a great deal of time laying on my feet (which is where she is at the time of this writing) while I play on the computer or read. She’s an excellent foot warmer. She also has an obsession with sniffing/licking everyone’s nose. I don’t understand it at all, but that’s the first thing she wants to do with I come home and she usually accepts new people faster if they allow her to do it. It’s difficult to get people to agree to that. “You want me to allow a 70+ pound aggressive dog that close to my face?” It’s strange, but true.
Annabella as a pup:

Annabella full grown:

Past pets:
Beethoven Growing up, I always had a dog. Both of my parents are dog lovers, so there was always one around. The problem was that we lived in an area that did not tolerate loud dogs so we had to get rid of most of them. By the time we got Beethoven, my parents had split, so when we had to give Beethoven up, I convinced my dad to take him. He was the first dog that I got to keep. I was probably 8 or 9 when we got him. He was very calm and friendly and more than a little bit of a slut, hooking up with every female he could get near. He died the day after we brought Annabella home of old age. It was one of the worst days of my life and I still miss him. Bach is so much like him, with the same demeanor and similar mannerisms.
Beethoven:

Beethoven & Bach:

More photos for your viewing pleasure: