I would like you all to meet my husband's puppy, Blondie.
The man who said we had enough animals and did not need more brought home a puppy behind my back.
Now we have a leopard gecko, two cats, and four dogs again. (Sadly, I had given my chickens away when preparing to move my mother up here.)
Blondie was born December 4, 2024, and now weighs 45 pounds. She is the pup from a friend's son's dog. Yes, she is hyper, but also very lovable. She insists on cuddles from the whole family.
I call her Blondie, Princess Buttercup, B****, Dammit, Drop That, Don't Do It, Go Lay Down, Sit Down, Leave The Cat Alone, Get Down, Calm Down, Sh*thead, Don't Eat It, Don't Lick It, Get Out Of There, Get Over Here, Be Good, Get Off Me, Honey, and Sweetheart.
My youngest girl, Bonnie, takes Blondie on long walks in the woods, has taught her to shake and give out high-fives, and allows her to cuddle in bed. My oldest daughter, Courtney, started the never-ending game of fetch (Blondie does not know when to stop!), and they both cuddle while watching TV on the couch or napping.
She loves to go on truck and ATV rides with my husband, especially to the back of the property where she can run through the fields chasing rabbits. Surprisingly, she has not gotten carsick yet - unbelievable in these Ozark foothills.
Blondie plays reasonably well with the other animals, considering she's a hyperactive large-breed puppy. The older dogs - Duke, Daisy, and Frodo - quickly let her know when they have had enough. As for the cats, Klingon was quick-witted and stood up to her when she was a tiny puppy, while poor, naive Dutch thought he had a cool new playmate just his size when she was first brought home. Now we have to watch her closely with Dutch, making sure she doesn't hurt and wallor him to death. So far, Blondie has outgrown all the animals except for Daisy, who still stands taller than her, and she's not done growing!
Now, you would think my husband would be in Seventh Heaven with his new puppy that he snuck into our lives. Seriously, you would even think he would be gloating and rubbing it in that he has such a spoiled rotten little mongrel to call his own. You would think so. He is not, though.
Instead, he has been pouting since he brought her home. There was even a day when he was on the verge of a temper tantrum. He has been so upset and broken up that I don't know whether to see it as comical or have him admitted.
You see, he is torn up over one thing. Blondie chose me. She wants to sleep with me. She cries when I leave and gets excited when I return. When the lightning strikes and the thunder rolls, she looks for me. If she is hungry or needs to go out, she nibbles on my feet to let me know.
He is angry that he paid money for a dog for himself, that is not his dog. (I got him to admit to paying for her, just not how much...) He is upset that she chose me.
Maybe I was a little harsh in my comeback to him. Perhaps I was not. I do not know. I looked at him and said, "It surprises you that the dog chose me? All the animals chose me. I'm the Mama."
Daisy and Duke belong to Courtney. Both dogs want to be around me.
My husband brought Frodo here because a niece was moving into a place where she couldn't have pets. She's never returned to get him. It is okay. He has become my dog.
Klingon belongs to Bonnie, but he bothers me for everything he needs. He sleeps with me, purring on my legs.
Dutch belongs to Bonnie but is confused and attacks me like part of his litter. Plus he sleeps with me, on my shoulder, purring.
Penelope the gecko belongs to Bonnie and Bonnie alone. She never leaves her terrarium until cleaning day.
Seriously, though, it's not like I went out of my way to steal his dog from him either. After all, I would much rather have a flock of chickens that poop out breakfast and eat all the nuisance bugs. A clowder of cats is way better than dogs, too. Why would anyone in their right mind want four dogs demanding their attention? I mean, it is a constant bathroom, feeding, and watering at my house. That's not to include all the de-ticking and medications we have to hide in cheese just to keep them healthy. Owning one dog is like having a toddler in the house; having four is like starting a daycare.
Do not get me wrong. I love my family's dogs. But when is enough enough? Will they finally stop bringing dogs home when you can not see me anymore? When I am squished by all the pouncing, bouncing puppies, will they finally say they decide to stop?
With my family, you can never tell. If they see a stray, hurt animal, you can guarantee it will come home with them - another baby to add to all the ones they have already brought in.
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Comments (16)
Well-wrought, and good for a Saturday morning laugh! I grew up with many beloved pets, but no longer have any, as I figure myself and the children are animal enough! I do, however, greatly enjoy observing animals, whether they be other people's pets or those which wander freely through the wild!
What a cutie! This was a very entertaining piece Mother! :)))
What a cute pup, Her eyes are so pretty!!! And I love lizards, the geckos sound cute, too. <3
So the puppy chose you, wonderful story. Nicely Done.
"I am the Mama" 😅 this is great!
Yeah, doggy! She looks so cute and sounds like a lot of fun. Also sounds like one lively household, lol. She may have chosen you, but at least she enjoys riding in the truck with your husband. Sorry that you had to give up the chickens. That's a bummer.
Ha, this one made me laugh out loud! Blondie choosing you? Of course she did. Mama vibes always win. And hey, maybe next time your husband brings home a goat… just don’t be surprised when it starts baa-ing for you...lol
Awww, Blonde is soooo adorable! I think my favourite name that you call her is "Leave The Cat Alone"! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 And hahahahahahahahhahaha she likes you more than your husband!! Now that's hilarious!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 If would be cool if you could get a group photo of all of them together. Cleaning day should be okay since Penelope would be out of her terrarium hehehehe
❤️
Sounds like my son’s house. He has had a virtual zoo at times and still has 7 dogs along with a slew of chickens, ducks, turkeys, and a pig… There have been goats and a cow which are now gone to other homes for various reasons. Also, his 5th child was born 7 weeks ago. Lol As for me, I have a huge dog named Chani (yes, from the book Dune by Frank Herbert) who is Appalachian Shepherd and Great Pyrenees, my wife has a Border Collie, my son and daughter each have a black mouth cur mix … so, 4 dogs in the house. The giant knucklehead - Chani- is a huge big mouth and a chow hound. Aria, the border collie, is a friendly ‘sweetheart who doesn’t ever believe anyone could be mad at her. My son’s dog - Wolf- is the quietest as the on,y male and least annoying, but throws up all over the house from drinking too fast. My daughter’s dog - Calypso - is older and a whimsy b*tch who barks too much at anyone who enters the house. We have had cats along with the dogs (they got along fine despite silly stereotypes) but they are now deceased from old age. We feed one outside stray that adopted my son a few years back and never left. He’s a neighborhood cat but stays mostly at our house/front yard. We call him James. The dogs just look at him through the storm door and wag their tails. James, in true cat fashion, stares back haughtily, then turns tail and struts away. Whenever someone comes near the front of my house I feel like I live in an animal shelter. So… I get it. I had sworn not to get more dogs then surprised my wife with Chani because I grew up with 2 Saint Bernards and wanted a big dog. *Sigh* Silly me. 😂😂😂🐶🐶🐶🐶
Growing up in Watertown, SD (yes, inside the NE corner of the town of 15,000 at that time by one & two blocks respectively), we had 42 cats, 7 dogs, 5 aquariums, 5 birds, white mice & hamsters (not to mention the stray bat & other critters we adopted temporarily), & mom only ever claimed one of them--the pure white kitten we gave her for either her birthday or Mother's Day one year. My wife treats our three new kittens similarly. She keeps the room where she spends most of her time shut off from them. I think it's nice of her. If she didn't, they would surely choose to cuddle with her on the couch in front of the tv rather than with me. I'd forgotten you lived in the Ozarks. My first appointment was to the Lincoln & Hickory Chapel UMCs just on the northern edge. We spent our honeymoon camping at Lake Pomme de Terre & our youth group loved going swimming at the Devil's Backbone where the water was always warm (& a pesky horsefly was always vicious).
Hey hi, Blondie! Hope your mum writes about you in future poems or stories! We'll have a pet chat!
Blondie sounds like an absolute character, and I love how she’s already carved out such a big place in your family.
Blondie is beautiful!!! My wife is the same. I have literally banned her from going to animal shelters now!! Great tale (tail?!)
Everything was good until you she goes chasing and terrifying innocent rabbits. Rabbits get stressed and terrified when being chased by a predator. So, that’s when my smile disappeared and never come back. I love rabbits too much and will always be on their side. 🐇💕 But, I think the cats sleeping on and around you are adorable. For your husband to get her dog back he needs to play with her and give her treats, and be him who feeds her.
Awwww so cute