Our Furry Kid

Meet Max - our first "baby". And in our opinion one of the best dogs ever. I mean, look at that face. He is so handsome, laid-back and well behaved. And loves my baby girl almost as much as I do - okay maybe the goldfish crackers she feeds him has something to do with it...

Duane and I had talked about the idea of getting a dog. But the circumstances that led us to Max are pretty special. When my dad passed away in Decemeber of 2006, Duane and I had just closed on a house. A house that needed more than a little work. - okay a lot of work. And as a whole, our family was left reeling in the suddeness of Dad's passing. So a few days after the funeral (6 days to be exact) my Aunt Nancy, who was staying with my mom at the time, casually mentioned seeing an add in the paper for Chocolate Lab puppies and suggest that we just go look. Right, just look.

So we drove about 20 minutes east to a horse farm in the country and met a lady who was crazy about her puppies. We waited anxiously in her kitchen as she released the puppies from the laundry room and laughed as they tumbled over one another, tails wagging and tongues licking, into our waiting arms. Max wasn't the first puppy to reach us - in fact he probably was one of the last to make it into the room. But the second I picked him up, I knew he was the one for us. He just melted into our arms, and hearts, with his laid back attitude and warm, wet nose. We were sold. Although we left that evening without a puppy we put a deposit down on Max with the promise to come back to pick him up in a few weeks. Once we got our house a little more inhabitable. At the time we were still living between our apartment in downtown Cleveland and an air mattress in a bedroom at my mom's house. Well, that lasted maybe one day before Duane and Brian got in the car to go and pick up our new puppy. Our therapy. My Aunt is one smart lady. :)

After his first bath, look how shiny!

This toy would last all of 10 seconds these days.

Those first few years it was just the 3 of us. And Max became our travelling buddy. He came with us on his first beach vacation to the Outer Banks in June of 2007. And has come with us every year since.

Family picture - first time in the Outer Banks

What a rough life - this is Max's typical travelling position all decked out in the backseat of the Equinox.

Did I mention how much he loves the beach - specfically rolling in the sand immediately after diving in the waves?

The first year that we took Max with us we stayed in a condo with a shared pool so we weren't able to let him swim. The next year we rented a beach house (much better choice!) - upon arrival as we all checked out the house Max ran ahead into the fenced in backyard and before we could react jumped right into the pool. He lived there the entire trip - Labs are true water dogs.

He came camping in Mohican where he especially loved the river.

We celebrated his first birthday with his very own puppy party!

Duane was fortunate enough to work for an advertising agency, Marcus Thomas, for quite a few years - among many perks they are a dog friendly company that encourages workers to bring their dogs to the office.

This is where Max would wait for his "Daddy" to come back from a meeting.

Playing in the snow is up there with playing in water - the toy in this picture has been replaced countless times.

Emma was born in February of 2009 - Max had just turned two that November. It was perfect timing to add a new additon to the family. Max was past his super crazy puppy stage (although compared to other Lab owners I've heard he was really mild!).

We did all the things that they tell you to do when you have a baby - bring home a blanket with the new baby's scent for your pet to smell. Set up the baby stuff with plenty of time for your animal to get the idea that something is about to change.

But from the get-go Max was in love.

Okay, maybe that's a lie - he was definitely very interested in Emma when we came home from the hopsital. And he stayed by her side pretty much from day one. I think he was a little confused when she woke up hungry multiple times during the night. But he was patient with us as we adjusted to this new little person in our life. And he was right by her side as she grew and changed.

Whenever we would lay Emma on the floor to play with her toys he would lay protectively nearby.

Now that Emma is a toddler their relationship has only deepened. Each day when I pick up Emma from Patty's house we talk about going home to see Daddy...and of course Max! When we let Max outside to go potty she stands perched in the doorway shouting "Max, Come!" when he gets too close to the sidewalk. They are true partners in crime...

She sneaks into the pantry and steals the box of dog cookies - giving Max one, or two, or five...

Or she simply shares her own snack.

She dresses Max up with her bracelets and necklaces.

Or fixes his boo-boo's with a bandaid and a kiss.

We recently took Max to the vet for his yearly check-up and to update his vaccines. We brought Emma with us. She furrowed her brow and watched silently as the vet checked Max's ears and nose. She looked at me worriedly as the vet gave him his shots. And when he was all done and the doctor had left the room, she looked at us and announced, "Max new toy!" So off to Petsmart we went.

I know that some people choose to get rid of their pets soon after they add a baby to their family. And while I totally understand that there are sometimes really good reasons for doing so - I also think that sometimes people use it as an excuse. Balancing a newborn, work and a relationship is a challenge. Throw a somewhat needy dog into the mix, sure it's hard. But I would not trade the love that Emma and Max have for each other for anything.