For those of you who know me; you already know the majority of my heart belongs to my dogs. But for those who don't, I thought I'd take the time to introduce you to them.
First there is Bennett. Up until April he was our only "child". We got Bennett when he was about 9 weeks old. Funny story;
My husband had been begging for a dog. I wanted one, but not the responsibility. So my response would always be something like "yeah, okay." or "Sure, whatever." Fast forward to us being in our own home for about 4 months. We were on our way to a concert and stopped in Hinckley to pick up my Aunt. Before we went to the house, we stopped at the gas station. We ran in to grab some drinks and there on the door were Black Labs for sale. Eric ripped one of the strips off and said "Here Mishelle. We're going to check this out." My response after seeing the $500 price tag - "YEAH okay Eric, no problem." as I folded it and put it in my back pocket to die in the washing machine. 2 weeks later a friend, also from Hinckley had posted her neighbors were selling Black Lab puppies for $250. Now, Hinckley isn't very big. Pretty much you blink and you miss it. So, it HAD to be those same dogs. This time they were discounted half off.
It was then I went to Eric and said, "Well maybe we should give it a shot and go see them." So, I let my friend know when we would be coming. We met the puppies. They were all so cute!
Puppy number 1 - now Bennett followed Eric around non-stop. So. He was ours! We picked him up 2 weeks later and well, the rest is history.
Never have I ever imagine how much love I would have for an animal. He is the sweetest thing ever! I really think he was human in a past life! (Maybe even cat in another lol) He is so special to us! I love him just as though he were my own child (I mean he is... but, well you get it).
Bennett
Now, 4 years later we became the proud Foster parents of Cooper. We had that "let's get another dog" itch going. It would come and go and at times be worse than other times. Then I saw Cooper on Midwest Lab's Facebook Page. Cooper was left on the side of the road in Missouri with his brother and sister. The sister contracted Parvo and gave it to both boys. She ended up dying and the brother recovered. Cooper managed to get ring worm and had to be kept in isolation. After that, he developed Demodex Mange due to a low immune system. He literally spent the first 5-6 months of his life in a kennel. My heart sank when I heard his story and I knew we had to be a part of his life. SO, we tried fostering.
I should have known... NO- I should had admitted to myself earlier that we would end up keeping him. I get too attached. I knew this. I expected this. So, we ended up keeping him. He was just 15lbs when we got him and now 4 months later he is around 31lbs. He is starting to be more trustworthy and playful.
Cooper
This is the newest picture of them together. You can clearly tell Cooper has finally put on a little weight! :-)
HE LOVES BENNETT! It's so cute to watch them together. I think one of my favorite things is when I let them out in the mornings. If Bennett comes back first, I'll ask "Bennett, where's brother?" to which he will look in one direction, and whichever direction that is, is where Cooper is.
Cuddling in the big bed!
Waiting patiently for a treat. This was within the first couple weeks we had Cooper. He was so tiny!