If they won't give me one I'll buy one!

Lou Lou Belle, Loose-Ma-Goose, our Sweet Lucy girl turned 3 yesterday. 1,095 days young - 21 if we're counting dog years but we won't, Sweet Lucy will never be anything other than a puppy to me. She came in to my life at a time I needed her more than anything - that old adage "Who rescued who" rings so true (who cares if by rescue I mean traded hundreds of dollars for... we needed each other).

I told my mother I wanted a puppy for Christmas (28 year olds can still ask for puppies from Santa...) - she agreed until I told her I had my eye on an English Mastiff. A what? You mean one of those Shetland pony size dogs?!?! I had done a lot of research on the breed and just knew this was the dog for me. I grew up with Dachshunds, which are awesome too, but I wanted a DOG. A big, protective, loud, human sized dog. I waited to even consider getting a dog until I had a house with a fenced in yard so they could have lots of room... and so I could install a dog door so I could sleep in (haha). A Mastiff it was - I considered nothing else.

I found a few Mastiff's at shelters in the area but since I had no experience with a dog weighing more than 10 pounds - ever, I was not a feasible candidate to adopt one. 

Well, if they won't give me one I'll buy one. I found a breeder in the area who had 4 week old puppies and invited my mom to... you know... just look, not buy on a December Christmas shopping day. She knew exactly what would happen. I would leave a poorer person after putting down a deposit. 

She was right. She usually is. 

When we got there Lucy's dad, all 200 pounds of him, greeted mom and I at the car. As we walked towards the puppies he ran around us, his tail spanking mom on the butt - she fell onto all fours. She looked back at me with shocked eyes and asked what I was doing to her. Poor mama. 

Until we went into that tiny smelly poor excuse for a puppy room and laid eyes on the cutest squeakiest balls of puppy ever. Mom and I each grabbed one, little Lucy looked up at me and gave me a kiss on the cheek and I was done. She was mine. For all of one minute mom tried to talk me into the other but I knew, the one in my hand was my Sweet Lucy. 

Mama holding Lucy (her left hand) and Lucy's sister

After four weeks of waiting, shopping for, planning, researching and waiting (yes I said it twice, I waited) I brought her home. She and her 10 litter mates were very small for eight weeks, too small in fact. The breeder had not done a great job of keeping them clean and he didn't de-worm them as early as he should've so Lucy and I had work to do when she came home. Whereas a healthy English Mastiff female should weigh 24 pounds at eight weeks she weighed just over four. After a trip to the vet, getting fully de-wormed (if that didn't prep me for having a baby I don't know what will) and some good quality food my girl started growing. Like.A.Weed. 

Lucy the day she came home. I left the tree up so she could have Christmas too. 

My Lucy. She is a drama queen and will baby the tiniest injury like she lost a limb. She is a mama's girl through and through, preferring to be near me at all times. She is the laziest dog ever - as in I have to pull her out of bed some mornings so she can run outside to potty before we go - akin to a teenager in bed. She still loves her Kong pacifier and is utterly adorable carrying it around the house like a baby. Spinning, aka Spinny Spins, are her favorite and after three years I still have yet to get one of her famous spins on video. Her protectiveness is appreciated and scary at the same time - she needs to know you won't hurt her or us and then you're a welcome friend. I fear for the person that comes between her and her family un-invited. She enjoys doggy daycare, aka The Place Where Puppies Play, but prefers to visit the humans while there and is ALWAYS waiting by the gate for us to pick her up at the end of the day. She loves forts - under the bed forts, under the coffee table forts, all kinds of forts. She'll do anything you ask her to do for a cookie - which is anything edible. The way she can get her back legs folded up and front legs folded down or how she lays with her back legs splayed out flat make her the envy of any yogi. And try to step foot onto the lawn without playing. I dare you. 

She loves us unconditionally and the pure joy she has every morning when we wake and evening when we come home melts my heart. While I no longer can pick you up your hugs are still the best. Happiest of birthdays to you Sweet Lucy Girl. You have taught me patience and understanding - thank you.