My Boys

Only other dog lovers can understand how I feel about my kids, Gunner and Marlo. They have the ability to shine light on even the darkest days.

In 2004 Dan and I went on vacation. We were going to be very early for our flight so we decided to follow the pet adoption signs to a Pet Smart in Georgia. We were in Georgia, so there was NO WAY we were going to adopt a dog, right? We walked up to front of the building and bounding over (all ten pounds of him) was a black and white wild eyed puppy dragging a 270 pound woman in his wake. She kept calling, "Whoa Nathan, slow down, Nathan!" I think Dan and I decided immediately to adopt him, just to save him from his name! You can't name a pit-bull from the dirty south, Nathan!

We did adopt him and immediately named him Gunner, after Dan's work in the Marine Corp. We bought a cat-carrying case and placed Gunner inside. He came on the plane with us, staying under my seat. He slept the entire way home from Georgia to Maryland, however, his intestines were WIDE awake. That puppy passed gas every 2 minutes the whole 2 hour trip home. I swear I thought the pilot was going to drop the oxygen masks at the requests of the passengers. Of course, Dan being Dan, kept pointing at me and shrugging his shoulders, knowing how embarrassed I was! I giggle every time I think of that.

Gunner grew up to be an amazing dog. He is not the pit-bull we were told he was, and even grew out of looking like one at all. He is beautiful, smart, loving, and the only reason I would want to know what kind of dog he is, is because I would like to breed a million just like him. I loved Gunner so much, I didn't want another dog at all. I was certain that I couldn't have as much love for another dog, and I didn't think that was fair. Plus, we had just bought a townhouse, and the thought of two dogs, all the hair, and everything else was not on the top of my list.

It was December 2006, and Dan and I were laying in bed on a Saturday morning. He rolled over and started hugging me and smiling that "I'm being super nice right now, because I want something smile." I remember laughing and just waiting for his sales pitch. Here it was, "So you know how you were going to go Christmas shopping for me today?" My response, "ummhmmm..." "Well, there really isn't anything I want. What if we went to the SPCA?? If you let me adopt a dog, that could be my Christmas AND birthday present??!!??" I say, "Dan, we can go to the SPCA, but we are NOT adopting another dog. Let's just go look." (Of course, he knew he had me at this point. Who goes to the SPCA or Humane Society and 'Just looks'?) His smile was so big and so bright, that even though I didn't tell him, I had already changed my mind as I was getting ready. If he wanted it, he would have it.

We ended up at the Howard County Humane Society. We put the windows down in the red civic to let Gunner stick his nose out of the car while we looked. I had already spotted a LARGE American Bull-Dog, all white, beautiful. She looked older, but there was something about her face that made me walk toward her. In a pin next to her, there were balls of fluffy puppies. The mother was distraught because people were all around her liter, and she was not able to protect them. My heart broke for her, but her sweet puppies called to us as well. A plump puppy with the sweetest dot on his head bounded over and picked us right away. I picked him up and am pretty sure I never let him down again, until we were home.

It should have been foreshadowing for us that for Gunner we basically had to give blood samples and ten forms of Identification to adopt him, but with Marlo, they swiped the credit card for the adoption fee, and couldn't get us out of the door fast enough. Gunner couldn't care a thing for our new family addition, until Marlo nosed by his food. After a few times of showing Marlo who was the boss of the family, they became fast friends. It also helped Marlo, that he soon outweighed his older brother by 30 pounds or so!

Gunner is smart and fast. He is a trail-runner and herds anyone and anything to wherever he needs them to be. He is the protector of the house, and carefully reads every situation. When he loves, it's strong, but you have to earn it.

Marlo is not the sharpest tool in the shed. He is a big teddy bear with people, and would most likely go home with anyone that promised kisses and food...lots of food. He is a little broken and has some issues, but that just makes me love him more. If people judged me on my brokenness, I wouldn't have anyone to love me!

There wasn't a weekend morning that Dan, Marlo, Gunner and I would lay in the bed together, and I wouldn't say, "I love our family." Dan would always, respond, "Me too, Honeyah", and kiss me on my forehead or the corner of my eye." I remember those moments as some of the best of my life.

On December 31st of last year, when the officer called me asking about my husband, I had just gotten out of the shower. I put on clothes, shoes and no socks, and ran out of the house with wet hair. My first sprint was to Heidi and Billy's. Marlo and Gunner watched me from the bay window banging on their door, screaming their names. Marlo started howl. It was a howl I had never heard before. It was the exact sound my heart was making. Gunner was barking too, but Marlo's howl was ominous.

That was the first time the boys have ever acted like that when I have left the house, but it hasn't been the last. When I leave the house now, to go for a run, Marlo howls that same howl and Gunner backs it up with a bark. It is so loud that the other morning around 5:30, I went for a run and it woke Heidi, worrying her. It makes my heart ache. I wonder if they fear that I might not come back, or if I do come back, I will be as shattered as I was when returning from the hospital on New Year's Eve.

When Team-Tiffin stopped spending every night with me, and I tried to get back to some sort of normalcy, there were days that my boys were the only things that got me out of bed. I love them so much, for everything they are, and for loving me unconditionally. As I watch them sleeping on the couch right now, my heart fills with joy.

As Thanksgiving fast approaches, the whole "Holiday without Dan sadness" is definitely looming over me, however, I still have so many things to be thankful for. That is why today, I decided to share how thankful I am for my two big, hairy, sometimes stinky, terribly sneaky, but 100% perfect to me, boys.