Vanilla Makes Life Sweeter................

Our dogs are such a part of our family. They mine as well be kids, because they're spoiled like they are. They're each a little rotten, too.

This post is obvisouly about Vanilla. She's still a puppy and just makes us laugh most of the time. Vanilla is a mama's girl, even more than Nutmeg ever was/is. Vanilla sleeps at my feet, follows me from room to room and doesn't rest or quiet down when I come home until I pick her up and give her a love. She also shreds rolls of toilet paper, when she gets a hole of them, into little tiny pieces. She's even been known to pull paper out of the trash and shred it.

Chad and I have a very tall bed (which is where our dogs sleep--actually Nutmeg sleeps with the kids a lot) Nutmeg can jump up on our bed, but Vanilla can't. Chad takes them out in the morning when he gets up and then Vanilla will come and jump up and down next to the bed until I pick her up and put her on the bed. She then lays down and goes back to sleep. We've talked about getting her some steps, but the only ones we ever see are just too small. So I had a brilliant idea to stack some of my small storage tubs together and make steps out of them. We showed Vanilla how to get up them onto the bed and she's been using them ever since. I think she loves that she can get up there by herself. Even Nutmeg uses them and I don't get woken up by a bouncing dog ever morning!

Like I said, she follows me from room to room, even into the bathroom. She'll lay by the door until I leave. If she knows I'm in the bathroom, she'll lay outside the door and wait for me to come out. It's like when your kids are little and they have to follow you everywhere, even into the bathroom...Yeah, just like that. She took it to a whole new level this week, though. I got up from the computer, she was sleeping at me feet, and started walking down the hall to the bathroom. Just as I turned to go into the bathroom, Vanilla ran past me into the bathroom and laid down on the rug. She ran down the hall, so that I wouldn't be in the bathroom without her. I don't know if I should think it's sweet and endearing, or a tad disturbing!

Chad and I have also been taking her on our walks, so that she'll learn to behave when other people walk by. She loves it and is really good on her leash. She walks right next to me without touching my legs at all, until she gets tired and hot (after about a mile or so). Then I start to feel her cold little nose on my leg. When I look down at her she gives me those big, brown, puppy-dog eyes. So, I make Chad carry her! After all, she is still a puppy! Chad complains about it, but I don't think he really minds that much. Besides, it's a better workout with an extra 20 pounds of resistance, right! When he's carrying her, Vanilla has to be turned around so that she can be looking at me or she'll crane her neck around trying to watch me, which Chad tells her is completely pathetic, that is until she licks his chin. Which I think is her way of saying thank you!!

If nothing else, our dogs are entertaining! The kids love them like nothing else and they're learning to be responsible for another living creature. On any given day, I can give you 100 things to complain about them, but we do love them and they do bless our family!