adoption – meet the butters

I honestly can’t believe it. Tomorrow our baby has been with us for 3 years! Time definitely flies – it seems like just yesterday he put his sweet arms around my neck for the first time (read his adoption story here).

Some things to know about Dobby:

Since Bella joined our family, he has become more welcoming to people that aren’t mom and dad. He used to shake with fear and run for the other room, but now he might even go up sniff them!
He loves to be in charge. When playing with his cousins Ella & Hazel, he has his own way of letting the group know he is the alpha. By the end of each play date they are all following him around.
He enjoys being held. Try picking up Bella and she’ll squirm until you stop, but Dobby will hold still, keep his arms around your neck or even nuzzle your chest.
He loves his kennel. Every morning before I leave for work he knows it is coming, and even waits by his crate if I’m not moving fast enough. He has his favorite stuffed animal (a purple bunny) that he’s had forever to snuggle inside, and I think it makes him feel safe.
He LOVES to swim. If we take him over to my parents’ house he will spend hours jumping in, swimming back to the steps, hopping out and repeating. If someone is swimming laps he will try to swim right along with them, and he loves to fetch in the water.

The other day my sister reminded me of a Dobby story from when she and Brian were dog sitting, and I think it describes him well:

When Shani and Brian had first moved back to Arizona, they dog sat for us while we made a quick California trip. They had Ella (way bigger than Dobby), and she liked to play on the porch of their 1st floor apartment. As I dropped off Dobby to them, I mentioned the half-wall on the porch might be low enough for Dobby to jump. Ella had never tried this, so we all figured it would be fine.

Fast forward to the next afternoon, when I call to check on Dobby:

Me: How’s he doing?

Shani: Do you want the truth or a lie?

It turns out that when Brian got home from work the day before, he tried to go say hi to Dobby. Being the timid dog he is, Dobby freaked out and hopped their wall, forcing Brian to chase him (at full speed) around the entire apartment complex until finally cornering him on a 2nd floor landing. But that’s Dobby – unsure of people, fast and determined!

I’ll close this post out by trying to emphasize how much this fur baby has changed my life. He has seriously brought out the mama bear in me and I don’t know how I would survive anything without his snuggles and affection. I love my mama’s boy! Oh – and Andrew loves him, too 🙂

–Jory

June 19 is a very special day. One year ago yesterday, Bella joined our family. She was only about three months old when we got her, so she’s now been a Butters the overwhelming majority of her life. Here are a few pictures from when we first adopted her:

You can read her adoption story here.

One year later she’s grown up to be the most lovable beast who we couldn’t imagine life without. Some things to know about Bella are:

She LOVES people. Like almost has a heart attack when people come over because she is so excited.
She gives lots of kisses. You might want to bring a towel with you if you are coming over.
She doesn’t know her own strength or capabilities. She’ll get scared to make a small jump or almost knock you over coming down the stairs.
She adores Dobby. If they are separated at all she’ll whimper, and she always tries to snuggle with him at night (much to Dobby’s dismay).
Tennis balls are her favorite toys. She’ll carry them around in her mouth, nudge them off the couch or bed to see them bounce, and race Dobby for them during fetch.
Green beens (and possibly zucchini) are her favorite food. She goes gaga for those veggies!
She often lays with her back legs on the couch and her front ones on the ground, just for fun.