one year anniversary

One year ago today, this dust mop walked into our lives.



Changing the way we live our lives forever. After weeks of accidents and going out to potty almost every hour our little Ringo-man has emerged a slightly more behaved cuddle muffin. His accidents are now a rarity, thank goodness, and we're learning to speak each other's language. We have a routine down, that he really adheres to. His inner alarm clock is that of a rolex. He starts getting restless in his crate by 6:45 a.m. and knows when B's alarm will go off. You better be ready to get out of bed because he will not let you rest until he is walked, fed and has a pillow to snuggle up on the bed...or steals B's while he's sleeping on it too. That one's always entertaining.

I was scared to own a dog. They are so much more responsibility than a cat. Like woah. So this was a huge adjustment for me. Now, I attempt to make our schedules around Ringo, driving B crazy. He is my little one and I can't imagine starting our lives together without him, now.

He is preparing us for parenthood, I can feel it. He tries my patience, has accidents, is stubborn, barks at the most unfortunate times but shows unconditional love in return. He even tollerates my insane nicknames, which have grown since I introduced him to the blog: muskrat, pumpkin, pumpkin seed, turkey, snowball, my little christmas ornament...you see the trend, I link them to holidays. He will be my little valentine before I know it!

So, happy anniversary to our little man! I know he's just a dog but, oh, that little face makes our days THAT much better! What a blessing!

that dog is part hound

That's what B's grandpa said after taking Ringo for a walk over Thanskgiving.

I am starting to agree with him. You can see his adorable black nose is a fairly important part of his face. He really has been letting it lead the way recently and its driving me crazy. He can sniff out anything edible or not so edible in a 100 meter radius. Going on a walk or run with him has become a game of tug of war with his leash, making me feel awful for choking him!!! But eating that bad piece of plastic or munching on anothers scraps is not the best thing for his tummy. What would I do without this furry little nugget? He may drive me crazy but gosh is he a good companion :)

Maybe Grandpa is right! Perhaps a tetch of hound resides in his sniffer, he was adopted from the humane society and we don't know what he is mixed with. I always assumed it was a terrier though...because of his stellar jumping skills. But that's another post all together.

ringo suave

Meet our pooch, Ringo Starr.

Brian and I adopted a dog from the Fort Worth Humane Society in January. This, as wonderful as he is, was an impulse purchase. NOTE: This is a very bad idea; we are lucky he worked out for us and we were actually ready for a dog.

In general, I am a cat person. I have two cats at my parents house, Harry and Beatrix Potter. They are 2 of the great loves of my life. Everyone who knows me, knows that I love all animals but I feel strongly that loving a cat is an extraordinary experience. Most people disagree/are silly heads.

This is the reason we have a dog. I like to torture myself by going to PetSmart on a Saturday to see the kitties and pick which one we will get when we have a house. The problem: Brian is highly allergic to cats and apartment living is not fitting for that issue. While I was seeking my feline companion, Brian decided to check the dog adoptions. We found an adorable terrier/poodle mix. Perfect! We thought, but decided it wasn't a good match. With disappointment, we left the store.

The next day, during brunch, we started thinking about puppy names. Fatal error. Brian convinced me to go to the FW Humane Society. Ringo was the first dog we saw. We did, in our defense, look at all the dogs there and walked/test drove several dogs, but Ringo was the nugget that stole our heart. His name given to him there was Lorenzo....pause for reaction. I knew as soon as we were test driving him that he was a Ringo. He had a Beatles' hair cut and was  a true ladies man. After about an hour to give it a think, lots of paper work and a small check to the Humane Society we walked out as offical dog owners!

He is a rambunctious little tyke with the following nick names: Ringo Suave, Pookie, Pookie Bear (anything pookie, really) Little Man, Golden Nugget, Baby Doo, Tinkle Tot, Sunggle Bug, the list can go on forever. We are lucky that Ringo-Man is a social pup and loves everyone! He loves visiting Fort Woof, the dog park, going on walks with his friend Merriweather, and being pen pals with Barney, his favorite golden retriever who lives in Arizona and Charlotte (depending on the season).

Ringo can shake, sit and come: sometimes! But when there is food involved: all the time. My mother said that what he lacks in training he makes up in charm. We are lucky to have found him and give him a loving home everyday.