Happy Birthday!

Six years ago, my life had quite a few life-changing moments. I married my sweetheart. Bob lost his job. I got pregnant - twice. I miscarried - twice... It was an emotional roller-coaster of a year! The good things were incredible, the bad things were heartbreaking. 

In the midst of an intense time in our lives, I made an emotional decision - A PUPPY! 

Something to bring joy when we were sad; something to take care of and dote upon; something that would love us unconditionally. A dog we could go for walks with, watch tv with, and even bring to work as a therapy dog.

It took some major convincing, but I managed to get Bob to agree to consider the idea.

When I found the ad on kijiji, I told myself that we were just going to meet the breeder, see the puppies, and take our time making a decision. We thought we were going to look at a little red, goldendoodle, girl puppy. As we drove for over an hour to get there, we tossed around potential names, and agreed on absolutely nothing. 

When we arrived at the home of the breeder, we were told that the red puppy had been sold, and there were only two apricot boy puppies left. 

She plopped a puppy in each of our arms and we were done.

It was love at first sight! 

The big question at that point wasn't "will we get a puppy?" but "which puppy will we choose?"

They looked identical. Little fluff balls of white and blonde fur. Curly hair around their ears, dark eyes full of emotion, and as friendly as could be. How could we choose? 

Bob remembered something he'd been told about judging a puppy's temperament. Taking turns with each puppy, he flipped each puppy on its back in his arms. One puppy squirmed and fought to get right-side up. One puppy just let him, allowing Bob to rub his belly. 

We had a winner! 

First night home

As we were preparing to go home, the breeder mentioned that, because of his fur type, our new dog would be prone to dreadlocks if his fur got long. Bob looked at me, and said "if he can have dreds, we gotta name him Marley". It was perfect. So we had our puppy, and he had a name. 

This was quite the venture for two people who'd never been dog owners before. 

He brought to our lives the things we wanted: joy, humour, cuddles, and comfort. He also brought frustrations: chewed up shoes, chewed up baseboards, turned over bathroom garbage, and missing socks. 

Treat?!

4 months old

Play?!

The next year was a huge learning curve, but thankfully Marley proved to be the best dog for our little family. He learned not to chew shoes or baseboards. We learned to close the bathroom door and keep dirty laundry out of reach. 

guarding the house from squirrel attacks

He likes to go for walks, but loves car rides more. He's scared of dogs bigger than he is, but will pretend to be brave if he's a good distance away. He'd love to play with cats, if they'd just let him get close enough. He likes to watch tv, and actually has favorite shows. He'd much prefer to be inside with people than outside with another dog. He's incredibly friendly, and loves any sort of attention. He has a bladder of steal, and has only ever "gone" in the house when he was sick. He is always on "squirrel watch". He will do ANYTHING for peanut butter, and comes running at the sound of the lid opening. He likes to play, but is genuinely not good at it. He has NO idea how big he is. Bob is his best friend, and I am his favorite. He has a 6th sense when it comes to knowing when someone needs to be comforted or cared for. 

watching a movie with me on the bed when I was healing from surgery

Was it a rash decision to get a puppy when we did? Sure. Was it wise? Probably not. 

Do we regret it? Not one bit. 

It's been 6 years, and I can't imagine our home without him!

Happy birthday Marley! 

Best. Dog. Ever.