All About Angel:Part 1

It was ten years ago this past week 
(February 12, 2005) that we adopted our dog, Angel. I would like to take the next couple of posts to share our life with her through words and pictures. Let's start at the beginning. 

It was a Saturday morning, a decade ago, when Paula, James, Brandi, and I got in the car and drove for almost 2 hours to Hardinsburg, KY. Our destination was a veterinarian clinic which also served as the local animal shelter. 

James had talked us into getting a puppy, which would be our second dog. Although he loved Dory, who we adopted just a little over a year earlier, she didn't act like your typical dog. 

James wanted a dog that would sit on his lap and fetch a toy or Frisbee in the backyard. He convinced Paula to come on board with the idea. I was totally against it. But after a long lobbying campaign and some persuasion, I finally gave in. 

But I did it with the understanding that I going to be a reluctant helper with this dog. The puppy would be their responsibility.  

Both James & Paula went searching on the local pet finder website to look for their "lap dog". After missing out on their initial choice, James decided he wanted this little cutie pictured here with her siblings.

So we prepared our house for a 2nd dog. According to the website this dog was not going to be very big as an adult. So we got a smaller crate. 

The long ride took us on the rural roads I had never been on before. For entertainment along the way I took a new stand up comedy CD to listen to along the way. It was by a guy I had just discovered named, Brian Regan (pronounced "Reegan). 

In a bit of universal serendipity, at the end of March of this year, I will be going to the local performing arts center to see Brian Regan in person. 

Our journey was back in the days before GPS so we followed the "Google Maps" directions we had printed out. Two hours later, we finally arrived. 

I told the desk clerk who I was and why we were there. We sat in the waiting room for a few minutes. It was a busy Saturday morning.

Finally our new puppy was brought out to us. We had decided on her name through a process of debate between all four members of our family that started with wanting a name that had something to do with Valentine's Day. Somehow we got to "Angel."

When James was handed the pup and they met. I was lucky enough to catch their initial connection with my camera. It's still one of my all-time favorite pictures.

When we got back to Smiths Grove it was time to introduce Angel to her new sister, Dory. They were instant friends and would be inseparable for the next 8 years. 

As far as personality was concerned they were almost complete opposites. This picture taken just minutes after they met symbolizes to me the "Ying & Yang" roles they played out as our family pets. 

Paula stayed true to her promise about being responsible for Angel. She is the one who trained our new puppy until the young dog was house broken.  

Angel quickly became a member of the family and Dory's constant companion. 

Although we knew from the size of her paws that Angel was not going to be the small dog that we initially thought she was; we still enjoyed the time she was little. Paula got the "lap dog" she wanted but for much too short a  time.  

And she was just so darn cute.

My favorite story and picture from Angel's first year with us came from her curiosity about the world outside our backyard fence. 

One day while out in the yard with just Dory, Something in the nearby neighborhood caught Angel's attention. She needed to see what was out there. Her only possible means of escape was the gap in between the two sections of the back gate. Only she couldn't escape completely. 

When I heard her barking in a way I'd never heard from her before I went out to the yard and found this. 

She was not hurt at all but she was stuck. I had to carefully get her out. She never attempted that type of escape again. 

By the end of 2005, the small puppy that we brought home in February was a much bigger dog. 

Here are some of my favorite pictures of our 2nd pound puppy over the next couple of years. 

2006

2007

The last picture I want to share with you in "part 1" is one that may come as a surprise to some of you. We had a 3rd dog. 

2008

This is a picture of our 3 dogs. You probably recognize Angel & Dory on the ends of the couch. The puppy in the middle is Gavin. 

He was part of our "pack" for about a month in November 2008. To read the details as to why he was only with us for a month check out RHFactors blog posts from November 10, 11, 15 and December 11, 2008. 

There's a lot more about Angel I want to share with you. The biggest part is how all of us has adjusted to her being the only dog in the house for the last 18 months or so. 

Make sure you come back for that and more in part 2 of "All About Angel."