Okay, so there are a lot more productive things I could be doing right now (like writing, working on the craft I was doing for Zach's birthday or Christmas present, or -- you know -- sleeping), but I really wanted to take a second to introduce you to Beni.
This is Beni. His name is short for Benedict; Zach decided we'll call him Big Ben when he gets older and, well, bigger. He's a German Shepherd Puppy that's 6 weeks old on Wednesday. He was born on Halloween.
One day, Zach came home telling about one of his students had German Shepherd (which I will henceforth refer to as GS because I am lazy and always misspell "shepherd") puppies and asked if he wanted one. Cue adorable man squee. Of course he did, what kind of a question was that?!
The problem? Zach is the oldest of four children with a total of six people in the household. Wyatt, his younger brother, has an old-as-dirt Siamese cat named Sarah. Katie, his younger sister, has a slightly-younger-than-old-as-dirt-cat-Sarah-but-no-spring-chicken Peekapoo named Mardi (he was born on Mardi Gras, hence the spelling). Stephen, his youngest brother, has a still-in-his-puppy-phase Sheller Hound named Ford. His parents had 12 chickens they kept in the yard, but there is only one left right now due to stray dogs killing them for seemingly no reason. The argument: There is no room in the house for another dog.
Well, I shouldn't say that was the entire basis of the argument. Points were also raised about how no one takes Ford on walks, the children have to be reminded to feed and water the pets, and the fact that Zach basically has two jobs right now (internship and waiting tables) and wouldn't have time for a needy little puppy. I see the validity in all of these arguments, don't get me wrong. Zach's main argument was that everyone else in the house had a pet. Now, there was a point where Zach had adopted a husky dog. She was amazing and I miss her. Wynn died mysteriously one morning without any warning. That was about a year or two ago. Ford was, in a way, supposed to be her replacement. (We all know it, though no one officially said it.)
His mom joked saying that I should be the one to adopt him since he's at my house all the time. Well, I have an explanation for that. 1.) There was a time where I was upset with his parents; it was something healed by time, reflection, and the girl moving to a completely different state. But, this is neither here nor there. Initially, that was the reason behind hanging out at my house... I just didn't want to be around his ex girlfriend. Plain and simple. 2.) There was a period of time where I had very intense headaches almost daily. You can imagine the noise level in a household of 6 where the children's ages range from 7 to 22. If you can imagine that, you can understand and empathize with me not wanting to poke my already throbbing brain with a sledge hammer. 3.) Depression, man. Occasionally, I sink into a depression. It's no big deal and I probably should be taking my medication for it. Luckily, it passes on its own within a week or two. If you have ever experienced depression, odds are that you know what I'm talking about. (Exercise attire, despite not exercising...or just, no "real clothes" in general.) 4.) I'm lazy.
Unfortunately, these don't get explained often. I mean, why would I bring up past tensions that happened a year or two ago to explain my absence? My headaches have gotten a lot better; it's rare that I have one for more than one day in a row. (Though there hasn't been much change on the noise level, due to Stephen now associating his yelling voice with his normal voice level.) His mom is a nurse, so she would possibly worry and/or try to get me to take medication -- or even worse...talk about my feelings. Not to mention the fact that I've been hospitalized for overdosing and it's falsely believed by some to have been a suicide attempt. I don't want her to worry. And no one likes to admit they are too lazy for real clothes, makeup, and doing their hair.
I've been making a conscious effort to go over to his house more. I especially have since they think I'm mad at them and/or don't like them. It also helped me realize my absence more when we went to take pictures and Wyatt's girlfriend was there, despite Wyatt being at a track meet. I felt a little like a crapbag at that point... I realized that, in my selfish laziness, I had missed out on a year or two of their lives. It's not like I was never around or anything, but it was a lot of bonding experiences. I promised Zach that I would definitely come over more to help raise the puppy.
Anyway, back to the main story! Zach came home asking if he could get the puppy on Friday. The girl needed to know a definite answer by Sunday at lunch, and it would be preferable if he could pick him up then. We visited the puppy Friday and held him. Zach took a picture and sent it to his family. Wyatt, Katie, and Stephen immediately fell in love with this lovable tramp. We speculate that his mother did, too. (She wanted to keep two of Wynn's puppies, but their dad decided they all needed to go.) There was about 3 hours of pleading/negotiating on Friday before Zach and I had to go to dinner at my grandparents'. God only knows how much pleading went on after that and on Saturday. Katie, Stephen, and I even watched a marathon of "Too Cute" on Animal Planet -- I think it was a subtle tactic of Katie's.
Saturday night at nearly 10, Zach excitedly showed me the text message he sent the girl asking when he could pick the pup up. We had a mini-celebration. I mean, we had already seen, held, and fallen in love with this little guy. It was only a mini-celebration because we're adults and feel like we shouldn't be this ecstatic about a puppy...I guess. But who doesn't love puppies? He was going to leave right after church to pick him up.
Beni spent the seven minute car ride in my lap. Half of that time was spent asleep. When we got to his house, we took him to the back yard to potty and explore. I got worried because he seemed sad and/or scared. He hadn't wagged his tail a single time yet. I get it, though. It's a new place and he's confused. I think the excitement came when Ford entered the equation. Ford's a big puppy; he's maybe two years old. He's a very excitable dog and loves to play and act silly. Because he is so big, we were worried that his playing might hurt Beni or that Beni would be scared just because of how big and rowdy Ford was. Thankfully, neither of these were the case. Ford has already taken on the role of big brother and Beni has happily let him.
His parents are trying to hide their approval of him, which they do well. Wyatt has already tried to steal him from Zach, but Zach is bound and determined that this will not be the case. Zach's planning on moving out soon (once he gets a steady, real job) and young GS recognize one alpha male and one alpha male only until they are older. Katie and Stephen adore him, but then again, he's a baby animal and young kids generally do. I think Katie is taking advantage of Stephen not being able to tell time very well. She'll say that it's their turn to swap holding the sleeping puppy "in about half an hour" and then say a time that is different than the anticipated time. Stephen is determined that he's going to carry the puppy everywhere. I swear, my first hour or two there, my most common saying was "Stephen, put him down. He has to walk and get exercise" or "Don't carry him, he has to learn to do it on his own." Is learned helplessness a thing for dogs?
Because he's Zach's dog, as soon as we got there, I backed off. He needed to bond with Zach more than anyone if he's the dog's master. I watched. I played with him when they were playing, but I tried not to take the situation over. It was different when it was just me and the kids; I wanted to help instill in him that they were near the bottom of the hierarchy. I know, it sounds bad... What I mean is, they are the youngest two people and he needed to see someone older taking the spot of the temporary leader of the pack while the alpha male was missing. I don't know if I'm over thinking it, though. Probably. Out of all the willing arms, Zach was sadly the one to hold him the least. It made me feel bad because I had complained, quietly, and to him only that we were the ones that didn't get to hold him. He let me hold him until it was time to put him to bed. I didn't realize it until later, but it made me feel selfish. Thankfully, Beni and Zach did get to bond.
This is Beni. His name is short for Benedict; Zach decided we'll call him Big Ben when he gets older and, well, bigger. He's a German Shepherd Puppy that's 6 weeks old on Wednesday. He was born on Halloween.
One day, Zach came home telling about one of his students had German Shepherd (which I will henceforth refer to as GS because I am lazy and always misspell "shepherd") puppies and asked if he wanted one. Cue adorable man squee. Of course he did, what kind of a question was that?!
The problem? Zach is the oldest of four children with a total of six people in the household. Wyatt, his younger brother, has an old-as-dirt Siamese cat named Sarah. Katie, his younger sister, has a slightly-younger-than-old-as-dirt-cat-Sarah-but-no-spring-chicken Peekapoo named Mardi (he was born on Mardi Gras, hence the spelling). Stephen, his youngest brother, has a still-in-his-puppy-phase Sheller Hound named Ford. His parents had 12 chickens they kept in the yard, but there is only one left right now due to stray dogs killing them for seemingly no reason. The argument: There is no room in the house for another dog.
Well, I shouldn't say that was the entire basis of the argument. Points were also raised about how no one takes Ford on walks, the children have to be reminded to feed and water the pets, and the fact that Zach basically has two jobs right now (internship and waiting tables) and wouldn't have time for a needy little puppy. I see the validity in all of these arguments, don't get me wrong. Zach's main argument was that everyone else in the house had a pet. Now, there was a point where Zach had adopted a husky dog. She was amazing and I miss her. Wynn died mysteriously one morning without any warning. That was about a year or two ago. Ford was, in a way, supposed to be her replacement. (We all know it, though no one officially said it.)
His mom joked saying that I should be the one to adopt him since he's at my house all the time. Well, I have an explanation for that. 1.) There was a time where I was upset with his parents; it was something healed by time, reflection, and the girl moving to a completely different state. But, this is neither here nor there. Initially, that was the reason behind hanging out at my house... I just didn't want to be around his ex girlfriend. Plain and simple. 2.) There was a period of time where I had very intense headaches almost daily. You can imagine the noise level in a household of 6 where the children's ages range from 7 to 22. If you can imagine that, you can understand and empathize with me not wanting to poke my already throbbing brain with a sledge hammer. 3.) Depression, man. Occasionally, I sink into a depression. It's no big deal and I probably should be taking my medication for it. Luckily, it passes on its own within a week or two. If you have ever experienced depression, odds are that you know what I'm talking about. (Exercise attire, despite not exercising...or just, no "real clothes" in general.) 4.) I'm lazy.
Unfortunately, these don't get explained often. I mean, why would I bring up past tensions that happened a year or two ago to explain my absence? My headaches have gotten a lot better; it's rare that I have one for more than one day in a row. (Though there hasn't been much change on the noise level, due to Stephen now associating his yelling voice with his normal voice level.) His mom is a nurse, so she would possibly worry and/or try to get me to take medication -- or even worse...talk about my feelings. Not to mention the fact that I've been hospitalized for overdosing and it's falsely believed by some to have been a suicide attempt. I don't want her to worry. And no one likes to admit they are too lazy for real clothes, makeup, and doing their hair.
I've been making a conscious effort to go over to his house more. I especially have since they think I'm mad at them and/or don't like them. It also helped me realize my absence more when we went to take pictures and Wyatt's girlfriend was there, despite Wyatt being at a track meet. I felt a little like a crapbag at that point... I realized that, in my selfish laziness, I had missed out on a year or two of their lives. It's not like I was never around or anything, but it was a lot of bonding experiences. I promised Zach that I would definitely come over more to help raise the puppy.
Anyway, back to the main story! Zach came home asking if he could get the puppy on Friday. The girl needed to know a definite answer by Sunday at lunch, and it would be preferable if he could pick him up then. We visited the puppy Friday and held him. Zach took a picture and sent it to his family. Wyatt, Katie, and Stephen immediately fell in love with this lovable tramp. We speculate that his mother did, too. (She wanted to keep two of Wynn's puppies, but their dad decided they all needed to go.) There was about 3 hours of pleading/negotiating on Friday before Zach and I had to go to dinner at my grandparents'. God only knows how much pleading went on after that and on Saturday. Katie, Stephen, and I even watched a marathon of "Too Cute" on Animal Planet -- I think it was a subtle tactic of Katie's.
Saturday night at nearly 10, Zach excitedly showed me the text message he sent the girl asking when he could pick the pup up. We had a mini-celebration. I mean, we had already seen, held, and fallen in love with this little guy. It was only a mini-celebration because we're adults and feel like we shouldn't be this ecstatic about a puppy...I guess. But who doesn't love puppies? He was going to leave right after church to pick him up.
Beni spent the seven minute car ride in my lap. Half of that time was spent asleep. When we got to his house, we took him to the back yard to potty and explore. I got worried because he seemed sad and/or scared. He hadn't wagged his tail a single time yet. I get it, though. It's a new place and he's confused. I think the excitement came when Ford entered the equation. Ford's a big puppy; he's maybe two years old. He's a very excitable dog and loves to play and act silly. Because he is so big, we were worried that his playing might hurt Beni or that Beni would be scared just because of how big and rowdy Ford was. Thankfully, neither of these were the case. Ford has already taken on the role of big brother and Beni has happily let him.
His parents are trying to hide their approval of him, which they do well. Wyatt has already tried to steal him from Zach, but Zach is bound and determined that this will not be the case. Zach's planning on moving out soon (once he gets a steady, real job) and young GS recognize one alpha male and one alpha male only until they are older. Katie and Stephen adore him, but then again, he's a baby animal and young kids generally do. I think Katie is taking advantage of Stephen not being able to tell time very well. She'll say that it's their turn to swap holding the sleeping puppy "in about half an hour" and then say a time that is different than the anticipated time. Stephen is determined that he's going to carry the puppy everywhere. I swear, my first hour or two there, my most common saying was "Stephen, put him down. He has to walk and get exercise" or "Don't carry him, he has to learn to do it on his own." Is learned helplessness a thing for dogs?
Because he's Zach's dog, as soon as we got there, I backed off. He needed to bond with Zach more than anyone if he's the dog's master. I watched. I played with him when they were playing, but I tried not to take the situation over. It was different when it was just me and the kids; I wanted to help instill in him that they were near the bottom of the hierarchy. I know, it sounds bad... What I mean is, they are the youngest two people and he needed to see someone older taking the spot of the temporary leader of the pack while the alpha male was missing. I don't know if I'm over thinking it, though. Probably. Out of all the willing arms, Zach was sadly the one to hold him the least. It made me feel bad because I had complained, quietly, and to him only that we were the ones that didn't get to hold him. He let me hold him until it was time to put him to bed. I didn't realize it until later, but it made me feel selfish. Thankfully, Beni and Zach did get to bond.
So, why am I so excited other than the fact that there's a cute new puppy that I get to play with? I realized, before Zach pointed it out to me, that Beni wasn't just going to be his... He was going to be ours. The plan was that he was going to secure a real job and graduate college before proposing. He's applied for a teaching job already. He graduates on Saturday. Brace yourselves...adulthood is coming. I mean, I don't expect an immediate proposal or anything (trust me, we've been dating for six and a half years), but knowing that the time frame is actually nearing kind of makes me nervous. It's nothing about him that makes me nervous, but the idea of being an adult. The idea of being a wife... The idea of starting a family... Not a "family" where there is a married couple and a zoo of animals, a real family...with human birth. I don't know... It weirds me out a little and gives me butterflies in my stomach.
Because he'll be hopefully moving out soon, Beni will really be ours and not just his. Not to mention when we get married. I think that's part of the reason why I don't mind stepping up and helping raise this little guy; Zach and I really are his pet parents.
Okay, one last little thing, then I'm going to finally go to bed. Since I posted so much about Beni, I feel bad not mentioning anything about my cat, so here we go!
I couldn't resist a cute picture of a sleepy kitten curled up by the Christmas tree! At least he wasn't under it this time, knocking the ornaments around. A few got broken last year -- probably because we have glass ornaments. He also likes to sit on the presents, but that's understandable with the history of cats and boxes. Not to mention how warm it is under those lights.
Yes, this is my bathroom sink. Yes, he's looking at me upside down. Yes, that is normal for him. Sometimes, he's just too lazy to turn his head, so he just looks up, which makes him end up looking at you upside down. He's weird, I don't know. But he did this and I got so excited. I've wanted him to curl up in the sink since I've had him, but he never would. I walked into the bathroom the other day and BAM! There he sat. I tried to take a better picture of him, but he decided that I was weird for taking his picture, so he went and laid in the floor like a normal cat.
He hasn't met Beni... I don't know how he'll react to him. He gets along great with my dog, but every time my dog gets a hair cut, Booger (my cat's unofficial name) freaks out and thinks he's a completely different dog. He'll have nothing to do with Prelude for at least a day. I don't know what this means for Beni, but I'm sure once they live together, they'll be great friends.
I promised that was going to be all. I'm sorry that this post was so long... I realized I needed background information for a few things and I ended up rambling. Regardless, enjoy the pet pictures. There are probably many, many more to come.
