Sunday, January 20, 2013

My Furry Friend

I had been lacking blogging inspiration lately, so I went to my Twitter followers to bounce ideas off of one another for blog posts. The first overwhelming response was, "Your puppy!" Shout out to Emily (@USAFWifeEmily) and Alyssa (@ThatFabNavyWife) for the idea! Oh, and P.S., if you are on Twitter, follow these ladies!!

So, without further ado, I introduce: India!

Isn't she just the cutest pup you've ever seen?   

I adopted India from the ASPCA in August 2007 (adopt, don't shop!). Getting a dog in college was probably not the smartest idea, but I'm glad I made the decision, nonetheless. Along with being a giant pain in my behind, India has also provided me with wonderful companionship. That's the beauty of dogs, they love you no matter what and think you are just the greatest thing since the sandwich.

Oh how I love it when her lips get caught!
 In preparation for this post, I spent some time reflecting on the last 5 years of me and India's relationship. If you think this next part is corny, I really don't care...I've realized how much we have both changed over the years. When I first got India, I was a partying, irresponsible, and selfish college student. She peed wherever she wanted, chewed holes in doors, and dug around in the trash. Now, I'm a married, responsible, and overall a better human being. She is a lazy old dog, pees outside, and no longer chews holes in anything. While we have both grown up, we have always had each other. She is my buddy. She is my constant.
One of her favorite pastimes, sleeping.
 Now here we are, living the military life. And I'll tell you what, I could not be more thankful that I decided to adopt ol' India Dog. There are many a lonely night (and day) that come along with being a military spouse. I can't imagine how much worse it would be if I didn't have my dog. When Justin is gone, just knowing there is another living thing hanging out with me makes me feel not so lonely. Do we have a lot of one sided conversations when I have spent a considerable amount of time by myself? Sure. But her presence makes all the difference for me some days.
India and Justin having one of their many stare downs.
 Sometimes I think India is a dog only a mother can love. She's stubborn to boot, is an overeater, and if she can dig out of a yard to follow a good scent, by goodness she will! On the other hand, she is a sweetheart. She has never even acted like she would bite anybody, doesn't bark, and is nice enough to wait for you to wake up before requesting to go outside. Justin and India do butt heads (apparently she steps on his feet on purpose and she doesn't like it when he gets too close to me), but I like to think they are on their way to sorting out their differences. :)
Their New Years resolution is to get along!
 All in all, India is a blessing. And a wonderful part of our tiny family (can't forget Sir Swimsalot!). Rest assured I will continue to flood all social media sites with her face.
Sweet girl :)