baby rontu

Having a dog has been one grand adventure. I have always had dogs growing up, one of my best and worst memories are when we had 3 dogs under one roof. One was a lab, another a springer spaniel, and the other was some sort of big eared chihuahua mutt. It's odd, to try and correlate my feelings for Rontu to my feelings for those dogs. They were just, there, and I poked and played and rolled around in the grass with them as if they were my greatest friends. It wasn't until we lost Bear, and my mom told me my dad cried when he took him to be put down, that I realized they really were friends and there's an emotional connection to them. It's that point when you have a goldfish, and when you see it floating upside down in it's tank you cry... but not because you miss it necessarily, because in your 4 year old mind it's a toy. And you're not quite sure what feelings or love is yet. Until you can understand that your dog is licking you because it loves you, or rests it's head on your lap. I have always loved animals and go absolutely crazy when I see any dog within sight distance. I don't care much for smaller dogs, but I will give them all of the pets and rubs I can if they come up to me. I have always had cats too, and my plan for tricking Rick into letting me have one is well under way. It pretty much involves me bringing home a kitten and saying that there was a little girl with a box of them outside of the grocery store (that actually happened once, I have many kitten-acquiring stories). My kittens came and went, and it never really phased me when they were no longer in my life. I did miss them, and I cried night after night into my pillows. But cats can be unpredictable, and its not common for them to up and leave when they're ready. I have always accepted that.
Despite my many dogs and cats throughout the years, nothing could have prepared me for the joy and love I've learned from having Rontu. Her mom was an american staffordshire, and we're not sure what the dad is, but the vet said most likely cattle dog. She has spots and her brothers and sisters have the speckled coat and shorter legs like cattle dogs. She's the only one who really resembled her mother. She is so incredibly smart, and such a huge cuddle bug. I have cried tears into her neck and hugged her so tight she yelps. I've learned her facial expressions and get never ending joy from saying the words 'bites' and 'ball' just to see her perk her ears up. She runs to the door when I tell her Rick is coming home. She barks in her sleep and likes to hop in the bathtub when you're taking a shower. I made her swim in the river when she was probably too young, and I've learned that devoting yourself to something that is terribly helpless without you gives you the greatest sense of humility. She can do nothing for me, yet she does everything. She keeps me company when I'm home alone, and keeps me safe when I have to sleep alone. She destroys shoes and likes to pee on the bed sometimes, but she absolutely melts my heart and I can never tire of kissing her sweet face.
I picked her out of a surprise litter from a coworker's foster dog, and I picked the best one, I'm positive. Before my moving to Nevada was even a for sure thing, I told Rick that I had found him a dog and didn't really wait for him to say yes or no. He had lost his old dog months earlier and normally people like to wait a little while, but it was the right time. Rontu and I would drive up to see him on the weekends and she could fit in a hat box on the front seat. And seeing the two of them cuddle? Forget about it, my heart cant take it. It's been 8 months of absolute joy.