A Man and His Dog.

Let me tell you a story about my husband. He never really had pets growing up. I hear about this one cat that his oldest sister brought home. This was the one pet that “stuck” around. His name was Lao. From what I have gathered the cat was not allowed inside… with that one insight you can tell he didn’t really have a pet.
When he first brought Shia home, Jared really struggled. Imagine never having a pet and then cleaning up poop from the floor. Poop on the floor had never happened in his life before. Hearing a dog’s bark when you came in the door wasn’t comforting for him, it was annoying.
It was an extremely hard adjustment. After we had Shia for a year and half. Jared had taken a lot of steps to train her. She obeys, she understands, she doesn’t have accidents. She still jumps in the bath all the time, but hey, at least she is clean!
A little over a year ago, I started to want a second dog. I begged and pleaded. I was on my knees every night (get your mind out of the gutter). I tried to pull his heart strings by showing him rescue dogs. All day long, I’d flood his email with photos of cute puppies. Each night, I’d show Shia youtube videos of other dogs and she’d tilt her head and paw at the screen.
Jared stood strong for months. Then I found Indiana. He was named “Blue French English Bulldog” at the time. Jared’s ice cold heart melted a tiny bit that day I showed him Indie’s photo. Jared still was playing hard to get though, he told me I had to negotiate… NEGOTIATE. I hate that back and forth and trying to low ball. I’d be a terrible realtor or salesman. Despite the hatred, I was really motivated. I wanted a second puppy dog.
I took the challenge. I haggled. I put on a poker face and IT WORKED! That weekend we drove to Idaho. I had butterflies in my belly the entire 5 1/2 drive. We left Shia with a sitter, so we didn’t have to make any bathroom/ running stops. When we arrived I grabbed Indie and went back to our car, Jared handled the money exchange and Indie slept in my lap the entire drive home.

Now you’d think that this is the end. Nothings changed, right? WRONG!
Jared is a TOTAL dog person now… Indie is his best friend. I am a little jealous, but at the same time I am really happy that Jared finally has found that special pet bond. Don’t get me wrong, he loves Shia. The personality fit with Indie is just stronger. Indie will sit outside the band room and wait for Jared to come out. Indie moves over to Jared’s side of the bed in the morning, just to fit in that last snuggle.
I think Jared even kissed Indie’s head at one point - WOAH!
The big news is Jared is ripping my baby boy from my arms and taking him on a road trip. Just a man and his boy dog out on the open road without his wife and girl dog. I told you they were best friends. Do you know how much work dogs can be on road trip? stopping to run, stopping to pee, gas in the car, packing a bag with all the food, always leashing him up and having eyes on him 24/7. That’s a big commitment and Jared is excited about it! The good news is Shia and I are having a girls weekend, who’s coming??

Did you grow up with pets? Do you bond with one pet over another?
More about this subject:Meet IndieBonding with a Second PetJared and IndieIndie's puppy blow out
P.S. I am linked up HERE