I have to give a quick shout-out to the first dog I ever owned, who is the reason for my affection for Golden Retrievers.
Katie (age 2) and Me (Age 2)-Rockin' shades
Katie was sort of, unplanned. My Dad promised my brother Dan that he could have a puppy when he was getting his tonsils out. My mom responded with a hard no-she had 5 children to take care of. A puppy? Not happening. But then came Katie. Our family friends in Claryville had a litter of puppies and were basically giving them away, so just like that, the Quinn family got it's first Golden Retriever puppy who became my immediate best friend. While my brothers were rough housing and doing boy things, I would paint Katie's nails, dress her up, put barrettes in her hair, even take naps with her. My first friend was a dog, which probably explains why my family calls me "the dog whisperer." To this day, she is the most gentle and docile dog I have ever known.
Next we've got Maddie, who I think is Katie reincarnated, but sassier. After Katie passed, my parents were again, dead set on never getting another dog. But of course, that was ALLLLL I wanted for my 11th birthday. So, they told me if I researched and planned and coordinated I could get a puppy, probably anticipating that I'd give up. But I didn't and July 26, 2003, my little angel puppy came home and we've been inseparable ever since. She has (not that I'm biased), the best personality. She gives absolute, unconditional love to the people she deems worthy, which definitely isn't everyone. After coming home from 4 months of a semester abroad, she didn't even get up to say hi to my brother Pat. When I come through the door, she's all like, "WHERE DID YOU GO?!" and, "DON'T EVER LEAVE ME AGAIN!!" and then, "Hey where's my treat?" She does things on her own time, her way, and I've got to respect that. She's got us humans figured out pretty darn well. I think it's because she's part human herself, but I guess we'll never know. If it's true and dogs are like their owner, I'd be happy to be as sassy and stubborn as this old chica. Here's a short montage of Maddie:
Last, but certainly not least, we've got Nola. She is the newest addition to the Quinn clan and was rescued by Dan when he was in flight school in Alabama. She is a vivacious, fun, snuggly goofball and I love her to death. She's only 3, so I'd say she's still trying to figure herself out and her exuberance is misunderstood. But who can blame her? She moved 3 times before turning 1. But fear not, she has been living comfortably in a queen-sized bed with us for about 2 years now, eating 2 big meals a day, plenty of treats and packing on a solid 20 pounds. Maddie has successfully taught her how to drink out of the toilet bowl and beg for food so we'll call that relationship a success. She's become a best friend (or maybe annoying little sister) to Maddie and a part of our family. My plan is to record her and Dan seeing each other for the first time when he gets back from Afghanistan, which will definitely produce a few tears and smiles (from me at least). And here is Nola, in all her glory:
Do you have any stories about your pets? Comment or share!
A little different this time, but fitting. "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."-Josh Billings
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