My Two Favorite Puppies

Today Mike and I took our favorite puppies (but don't let them know they are dogs) to the vet. It is time for licenses again and they needed a few booster shots. To those who don't know the history of our dogs, I will share. Their pictures are at the bottom of my blog.

Sammie is Miniature Schnauzer. She was born in July of 2000. We adopted her from the animal shelter in the fall of 2003 when she was 3 years old. The Weber County Animal control took her away from a lady that was running a puppy mill. Poor Sammie lived in a crate and had babies. When she came to us, she weighed 10lbs and had been shaved almost bald because no one ever groomed or cared for her. She is the light of our life and the biggest couch potato, TV watching dog I have ever seen. She loves anything with puppies in it.

Penny is a West Highland White Terrier. She was 5 years old when we adopted her in 2004. She belonged to a lady who had Parkinson's disease and could no long care for her. Previous to this owner, someone had abused this sweet little dog. She is so timid and is always looking for a corner to hide in. She hates loud noises and hides if anyone raises their voice. I worry about her ever getting out of the yard because if you holler for her, she is sure she is going to get into trouble. Her favorite activities are carrying a stuffed animal around in her mouth like her "baby", chasing birds in the back yard and chasing her tail. Oh and she likes to lick Sammie like she was cleaning a puppy. She will do this for an extended period of time until finally Sammie gets up and walks off.

Anyway, back to the Vet visit today. It was very discouraging because although they are in good health, they are starting to show their ages. Both dogs are getting a cloud over their eyes. The Vet says it isn't cataracts but can blur the vision the same as a cataract can. Their teeth are starting to show their age. And Penny has developed a cough that sounds like her wind pipe is starting to collapse. Luckily this is a slow moving problem and will not affect her quality of life for a while.

As I was sitting in the front room tonight, watching Penny walk on the back of the couch and licking Mike's ears, I thought "What are we going to do without these babies". Hopefully, that won't be an issue for 4 or 5 more years but the Vet said he thinks that their early years had a part in advancing their age related issues.

So I would like to say that anyone who mistreats a helpless, loving animal like my dogs ought to be hung from their toenails. These dogs are the most loving things I have ever encountered. They give unconditional love and are always ready for a pat and a kiss. Give them a carrot or a dog biscuit and they think that life is great. I hope that the life they have experienced since they came into our family helps to make up for the first years of their lives when things weren't so great.