Gone to Talk to a Guy about a Horse...

(I originally began the draft for this post on 6/21/2011.  It's the back story to an upcoming post...)

No. Not a real horse. I posted this as my status on Facebook and I had two people ask me if we were getting a horse. Sigh. Haven't y'all heard the saying? "Gonna go talk to a man about a horse." Their next response was, "Well, is the dog going to be as big as a horse?" No!

My Aussie, Denali, is such a joy! She's beautiful, smart, sweet, loving, loyal, trusting, fast, agile, funny; and did I mention Beautiful???

When I got her from Desert Willow Aussies three years ago, Doug had been working out of town. Ian was home for the summer, but was preparing to leave for his first year at college. When it came time for puppy obedience training, I was it. I was the Alpha. Denali and I bonded. She's my girl! Doug's been home, now, laid off from work for over 6 months. She's been spending a lot of time with Daddy. I feel like he's stealing her from me. He claims she camps by the door all day and waits for me with a heavy sigh. I want to believe she's still my girl. I certainly would be lost without her.

Over the three years she's been with us, and we've completed Obedience training and started into Agility training, Doug's been a little jealous of our bond. He's been wanting his own dog. One that camps by the door and waits for him. He's clearly got the time right now to bond with and train a dog.

When he was younger, he raised and showed English Springer Spaniels. When Doug and I first got together, we had a little Lhasa Apso who was much more Alpha than me. When Ian got older, we got him a mutt; mother was supposed to be Golden Retriever and we could only guess the father was a Border Collie or something (though she looked just like a Belgian Shepherd.) After I got Denali, he's been thinking about what kind of dog he wants to get. He's just a little snooty when it comes to dogs; he refuses to have a mutt or rescue. (I don't know why... it's just him.) He loves the Bernese Mountain dogs. We have a neighbor that walks theirs through the neighborhood. A very large, Valentine's day puppy named Walker. Oh, what a big, lovable teddy bear!!! Oh, but what a BIG dog!!! Once Denali and I started Agility, he considered another Aussie or a Border Collie. Each day, his mind would change. One day Border Collie; the next Aussie... Last week he finally made up his mind.

(oops!  I guess I never finished the post... maybe that's why it was still in my drafts folder.  LOL!)