Dogs...

My husband and I are parents to 2 dogs.  Yes, I said 'parents'.  Call it 'timing'; call it 'life choices'; call it whatever you like, but as I entered my mid-to-late 30's I knew that your typical kind of motherhood was not in my future.  Ok.  So I am the proud adopted mother of 2 dogs.  I've raised them from small pups; took them to school; made them study their lessons; engage them in 'sports'; take them to the doctor; care for them when they are sick, and make sure that they have grown up to be good canine citizens.  If you ask me, that's a parent.
I never grew up with dogs.  My parents liked a more independent kind of household pet, so cats were the pet of choice.  I got my first dog, Mocha, only because my girlfriend had just gotten a puppy and just happened to mention that there was a sister that also needed a home.  I was living on 10 acres at the time, so space wasn't really an issue, and she was pretty stinking cute.  A mix of (as best we can tell) Malamute, German Shepherd and Border Collie.  Or 'Mala-mutt' for short.  If I had a nickle for every time I was stopped on the street and asked "what kind of dog is that?", I'd be a very rich woman.  She's about 12 1/2 now and a more faithful companion, I don't think I'll ever find.  Through a divorce and countless other life-drama events, she has always been my friend and confidant.  She is my 'heart dog'.  And not to sound conceited, but I have been the focus of her world since the first day I picked her up.  She's just that kind of dog.

Mocha

And then, there's Mambo.  When Mocha was about 6, I had the grand idea that maybe she'd be happy with a friend to share her day.  So I contacted the Alternative Humane Society and was introduced to a litter of pups that they had just rescued from a local Indian reservation.  Momma-dog was about 65 pounds - same size as Mocha - and was a mix of Lab and Rhodesian Ridgeback.  Okay, that seemed like it could be a good match for Mocha.  The one problem with rescuing a mutt is that it's like reaching your hand into a grab bag.. you are never quite sure what you are going to get.  Mambo - now 6 - has matured into a 125 pound lovable lunkhead of a dog.  He's my ADD child.  Gung-ho to chase the ball... until a butterfly goes by his nose and then it's 'what ball?'.

Mambo

So these are my 'kids' and I love them dearly.  They ask for very little in life and yet give back so much.  Not a day goes by that I don't see the love in Mocha's eyes and have to smile.  Or have to just sit down and belly-laugh at something Mambo has just done.
So, if you come to my house, be prepared to leave with a few strands of dog hair on your clothes and maybe you'll find a toy dropped in your purse.