Thanks, Bailey!

Part of the reason I haven't posted in a month is actually the subject of today's musings about a new guy who has come into my life.  He's hairy, silly, loving and loyal.  I have a "type" eh! ;) (j/k Jeff).  On January 16, 2013 Jeff and I picked up BAILEY, our new dog.  Our best guess for his heritage is some sort of rottweiler, shepherd, husky mash-up, he's 2, and he was rescued from a reserve up north then lived with a foster mom west of London for 2 months before coming home with us to his (what they call in the pet rescue world) "forever home".  It's been a wild ride.

Some of the things that have been tough to adjust for (mainly for me, not so much for Jeff, he's pretty "go with the flow".. whereas I would never use those words to describe myself lol) are:
- waking up at 7 a.m. instead of 8 a.m. (I realize that was just met with a chorus of laughter, but trust me, I need 8-9 hours of sleep to function like a friendly, reasonable human so this means I'm now in bed by 10 - ahhh!  I'm a grandmother!!)
- not having the opportunity to rest my body when it's sore - for example, I have bursitis in my hips and a herniated disc in my lower back, but there's simply no saying no to a wiggly whiny dog who wants to go for his walk.  I definitely woke up semi-paralyzed on Friday morning after my back went out for the third time in 4 years - such a bummer/setback for me physically - and the first thing I did was walk the dog to the park in a foot of snow to run and play...
- being entirely responsible for someone else's health - this is exhausting!  Especially when your brand shiny new dog shows up with a double ear infection that involves shoving antibiotics deep into his ear canal 2x a day for a week as a very interesting "get to know you" strategy.  And especially when your dog has a (likely, we're still in trial and error mode) wheat sensitivity resulting in several day bouts of crazy ass.. stuff.. coming out of his.. crazy ass... oh man.  AND especially when your dehydrated dog decides to go on a water strike and stop drinking from his bowl.  The things a "mom" will do to get their "kid" to drink - I felt like such a goof feeding him chicken broth, homemade chicken stock, ice cubes, and water from my hand (which he drinks no problem - so what's wrong with what's in his bowl!?!?)
- the guilt associated with regular activities like going to the grocery store or going to work (these things NEED to be done if you want me to able to feed you, Bailey!) - I'm sure half of the guilt is imagined on my end, but half definitely comes from the big brown eyes and mournful wails of a pooch being left behind

Though my cons list is sizeable, it's absolutely miniscule in magnitude compared to the pros list:
- getting my lazy winter-hating bursitis herniated disc ass out for a walk at least once every single day for the past 25 days.  I lost 3 lbs in the first week without even trying!  Yeehaw Dog Diet!  More than that, though, I've been reunited with my love of nature which tends to go dormant through the winter months.  I realize that once I get up and get going, there is a whole world of wonder outside - snow that sparkles like diamonds in the sun, chickadees and cardinals fluttering through the treetops, brazen deer that stare at you from where you've disturbed them in "their" forest.  And the benefits to me and my mood from being out there are unreal - I feel like a kid again with cheeks flushed pink, eyes that can't adjust to indoor light after one of those brilliantly bright white snow/shining sun days like today, sinking straight into the snow in my snowpants and just marvelling at the silence and the big goofy buffoon frolicking in delight around me and the amazing feeling of coming in from the cold and snuggling up next to the fire or in my cupcake-patterned fleece pants and a big blanket.
- getting to enjoy exercise with Jeff for more than our usual April - October schedule.  Nothing better than holding the dog's leash in one hand, holding Jeff's in the other, and enjoying a still moonlight night together
- opening my heart enough to let someone else into my largely selfish life and reaping the incredible benefits that come with giving out more love, receiving that love back probably in triplicate (and unfortunately quite often in the form of uninvited neck licks - euwwww) and feeling that our little family has expanded and is that much better for it
- watching Bailey play with other dogs, from the puppies and grown up dogs he meets on his walks, to my "little brother" Ziggy (his uncle, technically), to Kristy and Ev's puppy Muggins - he is just in his element, doing slow motion submissive dog wrestling and trying to get a tasty dog leg in his mouth whenever he has the opportunity
- adding an extra layer of fun and love to our house so that everyone who comes through the door from the pizza man to my parents to our friends gets to make a new friend with the quiet, licky, belly-rub-lovin' pooch
- enjoying making your furry friend SO happy by doing something SO simple like giving him a belly rub or feeding him his new "sensitive tummy/limited ingredient" salmon and potato dogfood (again.. euwwwww - fish breath!) which he LOVES - you get to absolutely make his day probably 20x a day and that is such a nice feeling
- making Bailey as happy as he's made us.  His past is a bit of a question mark, but there's no question that it involved some abuse and neglect, which is obvious from the way he bolts downstairs after being told "no!" to jumping up on the couch (come on.. it's my couch.. I barely let Jana on it (she's a spiller!)).  Other than occasional required disciplinary "no!" ("no, don't eat the banister Bailey.."; "no, don't lick the stuff in the dishwasher, Bailey..") we have made sure his life is as comfortable, happy and full of love and good times as possible.  I can see with every passing day that he is loving us, trusting us, enjoying his new home and his new routine (minus being left alone ;)) more and more.  And when he runs towards you in the park when you call him back to you, it really looks like he's smiling, and he just can't wait to get back into your arms! (this may have something to do with the occasional salmon/potato kibble reward.. we'll never know).  He's such a wonderful guy and deserves nothing but a great life, which Jeff and I are so happy to be a part of.

Like with romantic love, there is no perfect person in the world, but there is someone who is perfect for you - and Bailey is just perfect for Jeff and I.  Looking forward to, I'm sure, lots of ridiculous stories being generated from his general ridiculousness and hopefully a long, happy, healthy time together.