Happy Birthday Deuce!

Look at you!  You’re a born comedian with the sweetest soul, and let’s face it, THE most gorgeous baby blues eeevvveeerrr!

I admit, there were moments of reflection on your birthday that brought many of our shared memories flooding back to my mind. We flew from Virginia to Florida with your tiny, fluffy self resting comfortably in a crate underneath the seat in from of me.  I would bend over to re-assure you every so often, even though you didn’t make a sound on the 2-hour flight.  Once we landed, I gently lifted you from under the seat and positioned you on my lap until it was time for us to depart the plane. While we waited, a young man seated across the aisle from us noticed you.  He was smiling from ear to ear.   As his eyes met mine, he asked if he could see you.  I searched around for a stewardess before unzipping your crate. You poked your sweet face with those adoring baby blue eyes through the unzipped hole of your crate like a jack-in-the-box.  There was a chorus of “aaawwwws” as people surrounding us saw you.  The young man told me was returning home after spending months in Johns Hopkins Hospital where therapy dogs would frequently visit. I quickly swept you out of the crate and handed your fluffy soft, tail wagging, sweet puppy breath body to the young man.  He was beaming with joy.  He was experiencing the joy of a puppy and he seemed to calm a bit in his facial expression which previously had shown great sorrow, loss, paleness, and well, illness.  I will never know what he was afflicted with, but something tells me it wasn’t going away anytime soon, if ever.  The joy on his face while holding you as you licked all over his face and neck was a sight to behold.  He squirmed and squealed with glee as you doused him with therapeutic puppy love!  Our turn to depart was about to happen.  I hated to remove you from the arms of a boy that needed and yearned for your love, but we had places to go (home), things to do (drive home), and your brother to meet (at home).  We parted ways with the now joyful, lively, smiling, and pink-covered cheeks of the young man and wished him well, along with his elated parents who thanked me endlessly.

Your big brother (maternal half-brother), Ace was anxiously waiting our arrival at home.  Once inside, I let Ace sniff you in the crate first.  You were whining and asking to be let out.  Ace was wagging his tail as fast as a helicopter propeller.  I opened your crate as you confidently came running out.  Ace was being gentle with you and you, you were gnawing away on Ace’s legs.  He took it and played on the floor with you – on your level.  Love at first sight.  I couldn’t have been any happier.  It was as if you both knew you were brothers and belonged here, at home.

Ace relinquished his normal spot on the sofa for you to nap and he took the tile floor as you both were exhausted from all the excitement.  All was right in the world.  I knew this was going to be work though.  See, you were a singleton (only pup in the non-litter of pups).  A singleton doesn’t learn to share anything, gets all the attention from canine mom and human mom.  Singletons also are lazy and bossy because there’s no other pups around to contend with. In other words, you were are a brat. But, one look at those baby blues, and I melted.

You were learning the ropes from your big brother.  You’d sit and observe his every move while thoroughly enjoying  being a puppy!

Ace was is so patient with you. In no time at all you were becoming quite the pot-stirrer.  Barking and chasing Ace so that he would move from me so you could take over his position.  Again, with those baby blues.  You were learning fast how to get what you wanted by simply looking at me.  I’m such a weakling for cuteness.

You were growing quickly. There was talk of showing you.  Your handsomeness was overwhelming!  We made a trip to Virginia for the Shetland Sheepdog Nationals in high hopes that you would be a Grand Champion super hero like your dad! After all, you look just like him.

As it turned out, you were too tall to show.  It was close, but a 1/2 inch is a 1/2 inch and in looking around the dog show environment, you and I decided this life wasn’t what we thought.  It’s not that we didn’t like it.  It just wasn’t for us – especially you, Deuce.

Your desire to have fun and stir the pot is much higher than living a restrictive show dog life.

You and Ace love being outside watching the golfers in the backyard from the pool enclosure.  It seems you can alert Ace of oncoming golfers so he can follow up with a chase of the golfers going by in their carts.  You stand and watch, then chase Ace as he chases the golfers.  You two really are quite sweet together.

Except that one time.  The time your doctor told you that you should really be wearing dgoggles outside to protect your baby blues.

Your eyes really are mesmerizing.

Ace came up to you and whispered in your ear what a dork you looked like in those dgoggles.  I don’t think you were very happy with his opinion.

But on this day in June, you, my baby boy had a blast playing outside with me and Ace!

You liked looking at the anoles.  Never hurting them or acting like you even wanted to.  I enjoyed watching you watch them quickly move about as if willing them to play with you.

I went inside for a minute to cool off.  You weren’t happy about that at all.

Then you found me.  You always do.  You’re my shadow.  I’m not complaining though, you are such a sweet boy who loves to watch over me.  Ace taught you that.  He IS the therapy dog extraordinaire.  With your personality and being quite the talker that you are, therapy work is not for you in public surroundings.  We tried.  You did well until you saw or heard something you wanted to take a closer look at.  Like a wound up little boy, you would bark and want to run to check things out.  That’s okay, you’re my therapy dog.  And now, after Ace’s retirement, you both are my therapy dogs.  THE BEST therapy dogs ever, I insist on declaring.

Stopping to smell the flowers, we went back outside to carry on with your birthday celebration.

You were so proud to have your 4 year-old picture taken.  As always, you saw me with my camera and were quick to pose on command.  Smart boy!

In fact, you were enjoying the bow tie attire.  Getting all dressed up for your party seemed to make you feel regal.  You are older now, and it’s time you learned these things.

Wait. Time out! There was a golfer. I could read your mind. “Ace! Go get ‘em. I’m going to sit here real pretty for Mom to take my picture.”

Taking a break from playing, off came the bow tie.  Ace was still chasing the golfers.  Intently, you watched him running and leaping up and down 3 steps all at once on each end of the hot tub area.

Ace settled down to relax and cool off. You decided to get the party started again by playing with the empty Diet Coke plastic bottle.

Then there was that darned squirrel taunting you and Ace on the pool screen enclosure above your head.  After barking and chasing the squirrel miraculously not falling into the pool.

You showed off your funny faces for the camera.  Here it appears you’re staring at a tiny black hair on your muzzle and going cross-eyed in the meantime.

You can make the funniest faces.  You’re very communicating with your eyes and facial expressions.

Welp, there goes an airplane overhead!  As soon as you hear an airplane, you look up to the sky and watch in amazement.  Incredibly smart AND handsome make you the perfect dog to photograph.

This is you laughing hysterically.  You enjoyed your day playing outside, getting groomed, and your picture taken nearly 25 times (or more).

Deuce, the joy you’ve brought to our lives is immeasurable.  Your unconditional love and your intuitiveness to my needs are incredible.  My love for you and your brother is a love that can’t be described.  I promise you that everyday for the rest of your life, you will continue to have my unconditional love right back and have the best of the best of everything no matter what.

You and Ace.  Two of the most entertaining, adorable and absolute best companions anyone could ever ask for.

So, party on boys.  Enjoy life.  Chase golfers.  Chase squirrels.  Watch the airplanes in the sky.  Bark at the pool fountain – it’s your favorite game!

Here’s to you Deuce!  Momma loves you!

{Whisperwind’s Full House} “Deuce”

 

Peace.

Advertisements