becoming dogs

Nightstand water bowl

Not only is March 2 KK's birthday, it is also the day our dogs became, well, dogs. Like many childless dog owners, The Weens were the focus of our lives. We were basically Dog People, spending Saturday mornings at the dog park, swimming in the creek and taking them on long walks through the neighborhood. They spooned in our bed and shared my pillows. When we went out of town, I worried about them and hoped they weren't sad.

And then I got pregnant. While hard-pressed to remember something I didn't worry about, I most certainly recall spending a lot of time worrying about The Weens and how their lives would change. I also worried that I couldn't love The Baby as much as I loved my dogs. Yes, really! A friend laughed and assured me that my feelings would change as soon as the baby arrived, but I wasn't convinced.  

I spent the last few weeks of my pregnancy stranded in the Shack in 24 feet of snow, the Weens by my side. When I went into labor, the Weens, still by my side and oblivious of my screaming and yelling, offered licks of encouragement. When we finally left for the hospital, I thought about how sad and lost they would be the next time I saw them - when their lives would forever be changed.

When I got home, The Baby in tow, I stood outside with them, tears running down my face, hoping for something that might assuage the guilt that I felt. However, they greeted me with enthusiasm and joy. In my absence, Allen had given them several new blankets to burrow under, blankets that belonged to, and contained the scent of, The Baby! Brilliant!

Flash on vacation in the country

I won't lie - it wasn't quick or easy, and the challenge of a new baby in a small space would have been a lot easier without the addition of two spoiled, demanding dogs; but over time, their positions have stabilized. While they still take over my bed and steal my pillows, they no longer take over my mind. When we go out of town, instead of obsessing about them missing us, I enjoy my break from their constant neediness.  Ok, so maybe they enjoy their time away and probably always have. My parents enjoy being Temporary Dog People, and shower them with the constant attention they no longer get from me. In the end, That day turned out ok for all of us.


Oh, wait. The cats? What cats?

Here are some recent events for Dog People sponsored by the Washington Humane Society that we've attended with the weens:

Bark Ball, June 5, 2010

Jazz & I at Pups in the Park, August 29, 2010

Flash watching the Nationals/Cardinals game

Yes, KK got to go too!