Ricky is 2.

If you didn't know that I love my dog, then you don't know me. 

Ricky was born in our house 2 years ago on Mother's Day--fitting. He was one of nine puppies but from the beginning, he stood out from the rest. With a white triangle spot on his neck, you couldn't miss him. For about a year, his ears did not fit and we wondered if the mutation that gave him extra toes on each leg would come back and bite us.

As pathetic as it sounds, he's my everything on this earth. The feelings he shows when he runs through the door with a crazy, wagging tail and a tongue flipping out of his mouth, ready to kiss me--that feeling is mutual. 

Happy Birthday to my little Ricky.

Happy Birthday Pup.

Currently, he's hiding under my bed. He took a pair of my "intimates" again and was caught.
While I think hard about my brother's comments on Ricky's ladylike tendencies, I will celebrate the fact that he is a year old!

As a present, maybe I'll buy him his own pair of undies. Boys, of course.

(wedding hoopla and mushy gushy memories to come from #clayoline2012)

Lucy.

About 2 weeks ago, my dog Lucy died. Lucy was our first family dog. The first dog that stuck at least. We had a lab before her, (his name went back from Ringo to Rico and never became certain) but he was too big for us. Lucy was just right. These feelings are only in hindsight.

We got her from an Indian store.

Yes. An Indian store.

My brother and I went together and there were two MinPins to choose from. I think it was Lucy and her bro.

We picked Lucy. She was demure. I don't remember how she got home but when she did, she didn't like me. She snarled, hissed and preferred to stay in dark corners. So I left her alone.

I also don't remember how we finally became friends but she was the funniest, most loving dog ever. And she fit our misfit family.

Lucy gave birth to 2 litters.

The dad was a deadbeat neighborhood chihuahua that my brother named Pablo.

In the last litter, there were nine pups. One had a triangle of white hair on his neck and extra toes. So he became our Ricky and Lucy's arch nemesis from that day forward.

And now we just have Ricky. He's filling the void well. He sleeps riiiiiight next to us, sits on our toes, likes soft things, licks everything and... there's just nothing wrong with him. Especially after he stopped peeing inside the house.

The loss was big. I feel grateful and pathetic to tell you that she's the first great loss in my life. I'm moving on she's still alive in our memory.

Lucy lived a life that her owners mourned. You can say she's just a dog, but she was a good dog. A protector, a best friend, a playmate... what a good dog should be.

I wasn't sure what this post should be, a eulogy or pet humor. Hope you'll just take it for what it is!
Just a pet lover remembering her friend.

Fighter

This is Ricky. He's a 6 month old min pin/chihuahua mix. A loveable and sweet, big-eared, the-size-of-your-lap kind of creature.

At the vet this morning, Ricky was growling at a dog that looked more or less like this-

Yep, that's a husky. And I'm pretty sure the one I saw this morning was bigger. The brother and I were amused that our 5 pound puppy thought he could take on this huge canine but even more so, I was impressed that Ricky was even bold enough to dare!

Bold enough to even make himself aware to the dog, that he was ready to defend whatever he was defending.

Ricky set a great example for the intimidated and fearful of sin. Who cares if I'm a tiny human of normal strength and potential? I have a God that will set me on his shoulders and fight.

Often times, we think God's choice to fight for us means we can back down. That we need to stand behind to let God take front and center. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's the other way around. Because God is standing with us, ready to win the battle, we must stand tall. We have no reason to quiver in our boots. His power shows THROUGH us, not in spite of us.

Take God's presence that you can trust and plow through the sin that tempts, sneers and shows it teeth. Take a lesson from my pup; don't back down today!

 Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory. (Deuteronomy 20:3-4)