Here's the blog post with the explanation Instagram never gave you...
Most of you know we had eight extra furry legs join our family earlier this spring...but most people don't know why. Or how. Or why.
In January (when we were in FULL ON remodel mode with exactly 579,669,485 things happening) a picture of these two sweet-sister-pups was posted on Facebook by their owners and I immediately commented that we might be interested. Of course I commented and THEN asked Josh...
You see, Josh and I have never been dog owners. Neither of our families had dogs at any point during our respective childhoods. We talked about getting a dog for like a minute a couple years ago but then realized we were gone too much for it to make sense. We also didn't have a yard. And lived on 13th St.
To be honest, we'd had actual conversations about giving our a kiddos a puppy to 'open' on Christmas morning at some point...because ourlame parents never gave us that Christmas commercial moment and we wanted it for our six-year-old selves more than anything else. Needless to say, we had thought about it off an on for years...when we had more space, more land, more margin, we'd love to eventually have dogs.
To be honest, we'd had actual conversations about giving our a kiddos a puppy to 'open' on Christmas morning at some point...because our
So with life on five acres in our immediate future, we talked about getting cats and dogs and maybe chickens and Josh has his heart set on a cow. I figured...this was step one. A pair of beautiful, already-trained, incredibly low maintenance, already outdoor {FREE} dogs.
We are not the kind of people who were ever going to spent $500+ on a dog. We just don't get it. Nothing against people who do...but like...we would do a lot of other things with $500 before we spend it on a dog (do you know how many antiques you can buy on the Junk Jaunt with $500?!). We have a hard time grasping the idea that dogs cost money on a monthly basis, in addition to meds/shots/yearly vet checks, etc...plus we knew we'd need to install an underground fence living on a highway-acreage. So we wanted to do almost anything to get around the up-front cost of purchasing a doggie. And originally we'd thought all of this was like...part of the long-game...at some point, eventually, we'd decide it was time and start researching.
And then that picture was posted and I was like, 'Well those dogs would match our house perfectly.'
I liked that they came from a great home. That they already knew their names, knew how to sit, stay, come (usually), don't jump, don't lick, and don't drool. They're great with kiddos. I like that they tell me when the mail comes and when a foreign vehicle enters our driveway. And otherwise they're super laid back and insanely well-mannered. I'm bragging about how incredible they are, but I can't actually take any of the credit because they came to us as two-year-olds, and apparently their breed is just super chill (unless there are small kitties to chase). They don't mindlessly bark. And as far as outdoor dogs go, they don't even smell that bad (unless they've been rained on)! I even liked that there were TWO of them to keep each other entertained all day and night without needing us around for playing.
I relayed all the pros and cons to Josh frequently to try and get a decision out of him. He's always been the one with the acreage dream, and then it just sort of second-hand became mine too...so if having dogs was part of it, then I felt like it was my job to figure out the logistics and get it done (even though it was much sooner than we'd expected). When we went to visit them before we officially committed to taking them, we left and I asked Josh what he thought, and he said something like, 'Their demeanor is what will win me over. Those are really nice dogs.' So between that, and me prodding that an opportunity like this would probably never come up again, we decided to GO FOR IT.
I have more to say about this, for now let me just say...they came to us on a pretty bad weekend this spring. Bad for house stuff, bad for our fam, bad for BLC...a lot of things stacked up against us back to back to back and we were like, 'Whaaaaaat did we just do bringing these dogs here this is insane, make it all stop.'
I am the LAST person to ever become some sort of animal-loing weirdo...but these sweetie-girls were a welcomed distraction in the midst of serious chaos. They actually came at the PERFECT time. They got us outside to play when it was muddy and cold and we just wanted to huddle inside in front of the TV. They made us laugh when we felt like crying. They kept us busy and gave us chores and extra errands to focus on. They are cuddly and playful and smart and fun and SO SWEET, which is my favorite word to describe them (as you might have already noticed): Sweet. They will forever be the unexpected bright spot during a tough month, and I'm nothing but thankful for them. Even when I'm brushing pounds of white hair off of them in the spring. They're also terrible at posing for family pictures but I can get over that.
Milly is 3 and is the calmer, more obedient, one of the two. She listens to us a little better, is more likely to follow us around and is the first to sit with us on the porch. She is territorial about her food and HER favorite spot underneath the deck. She doesn't run across the yard after semi's as much as her sister will. Her fur is less soft and poofy and she's also a bit skinnier than Remy. I don't know why, but her 'beard' is always dirty, when Remy is the one I typically find digging. I can't figure that one out.
Remy is 2 and a half and is the crazier, less obedient one. She's a bit more of a wild card. They both sit and Milly will lay...Remy will lay about 50% of the time. She generally seems goofier, more like a puppy, even though she's the younger sister only by a few months. Her fur is huge and amazing, and when she's brushed she's basically a model. I say she's the 'naughtier' one, but she's still unbelievably good overall. She's usually naughty in a funny way. We have to call to her more than once before she will come in for the night, it only takes one time with Milly. I actually think this sounds like pretty typical first and second born behavior and that is hilarious to me.
They both love car rides, steak bones, chasing our kitties, and being let in the screen porch for extra-special late-night cuddles when we have friends over and I've had a drink so suddenly I 'forget' how much I prefer NOT to sweep dog hair (stuck to everything) out of my porch the next morning. They love chewing on shoes we accidentally leave on the porch, but for some reason they leave our three pairs of rainboots alone. They're fairly easy to tell apart, but it's even easier once you know their personalities. They both have pretty brown eyes, enjoy being brushed, and love when we have some extra time to spend giving them attention. They like being lazy, occasionally digging holes, and greeting us every time we come or go.
Anyway, I'm a Dog Mom and I am COMMITTED to this thing. I honestly love them. And It didn't take long for it to feel like they actually love us back. It's been so fun to have them here as we settle into life on our acreage and find our new normal...I look outside and I see two giant, beautiful dogs hunkered down on either side of our driveway and it's somehow exactly what I've always pictured. They've helped us slow down. To enjoy life out here a bit more. To keep us feeling stable when things seem crazy...they add extra chores to our daily life and list of responsibilities, but they're the thing I just never knew I needed until they were here and they were ours.
MmB
And then that picture was posted and I was like, 'Well those dogs would match our house perfectly.'
I liked that they came from a great home. That they already knew their names, knew how to sit, stay, come (usually), don't jump, don't lick, and don't drool. They're great with kiddos. I like that they tell me when the mail comes and when a foreign vehicle enters our driveway. And otherwise they're super laid back and insanely well-mannered. I'm bragging about how incredible they are, but I can't actually take any of the credit because they came to us as two-year-olds, and apparently their breed is just super chill (unless there are small kitties to chase). They don't mindlessly bark. And as far as outdoor dogs go, they don't even smell that bad (unless they've been rained on)! I even liked that there were TWO of them to keep each other entertained all day and night without needing us around for playing.
I relayed all the pros and cons to Josh frequently to try and get a decision out of him. He's always been the one with the acreage dream, and then it just sort of second-hand became mine too...so if having dogs was part of it, then I felt like it was my job to figure out the logistics and get it done (even though it was much sooner than we'd expected). When we went to visit them before we officially committed to taking them, we left and I asked Josh what he thought, and he said something like, 'Their demeanor is what will win me over. Those are really nice dogs.' So between that, and me prodding that an opportunity like this would probably never come up again, we decided to GO FOR IT.
I have more to say about this, for now let me just say...they came to us on a pretty bad weekend this spring. Bad for house stuff, bad for our fam, bad for BLC...a lot of things stacked up against us back to back to back and we were like, 'Whaaaaaat did we just do bringing these dogs here this is insane, make it all stop.'
I am the LAST person to ever become some sort of animal-loing weirdo...but these sweetie-girls were a welcomed distraction in the midst of serious chaos. They actually came at the PERFECT time. They got us outside to play when it was muddy and cold and we just wanted to huddle inside in front of the TV. They made us laugh when we felt like crying. They kept us busy and gave us chores and extra errands to focus on. They are cuddly and playful and smart and fun and SO SWEET, which is my favorite word to describe them (as you might have already noticed): Sweet. They will forever be the unexpected bright spot during a tough month, and I'm nothing but thankful for them. Even when I'm brushing pounds of white hair off of them in the spring. They're also terrible at posing for family pictures but I can get over that.
Milly is 3 and is the calmer, more obedient, one of the two. She listens to us a little better, is more likely to follow us around and is the first to sit with us on the porch. She is territorial about her food and HER favorite spot underneath the deck. She doesn't run across the yard after semi's as much as her sister will. Her fur is less soft and poofy and she's also a bit skinnier than Remy. I don't know why, but her 'beard' is always dirty, when Remy is the one I typically find digging. I can't figure that one out.
Remy is 2 and a half and is the crazier, less obedient one. She's a bit more of a wild card. They both sit and Milly will lay...Remy will lay about 50% of the time. She generally seems goofier, more like a puppy, even though she's the younger sister only by a few months. Her fur is huge and amazing, and when she's brushed she's basically a model. I say she's the 'naughtier' one, but she's still unbelievably good overall. She's usually naughty in a funny way. We have to call to her more than once before she will come in for the night, it only takes one time with Milly. I actually think this sounds like pretty typical first and second born behavior and that is hilarious to me.
They both love car rides, steak bones, chasing our kitties, and being let in the screen porch for extra-special late-night cuddles when we have friends over and I've had a drink so suddenly I 'forget' how much I prefer NOT to sweep dog hair (stuck to everything) out of my porch the next morning. They love chewing on shoes we accidentally leave on the porch, but for some reason they leave our three pairs of rainboots alone. They're fairly easy to tell apart, but it's even easier once you know their personalities. They both have pretty brown eyes, enjoy being brushed, and love when we have some extra time to spend giving them attention. They like being lazy, occasionally digging holes, and greeting us every time we come or go.
Anyway, I'm a Dog Mom and I am COMMITTED to this thing. I honestly love them. And It didn't take long for it to feel like they actually love us back. It's been so fun to have them here as we settle into life on our acreage and find our new normal...I look outside and I see two giant, beautiful dogs hunkered down on either side of our driveway and it's somehow exactly what I've always pictured. They've helped us slow down. To enjoy life out here a bit more. To keep us feeling stable when things seem crazy...they add extra chores to our daily life and list of responsibilities, but they're the thing I just never knew I needed until they were here and they were ours.
MmB
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