Puppy Love

I am a dog person. I discovered this fairly late in life, since my family didn't own a dog until my senior year of high school. We'd been thinking about getting a dog for a while. With a 17 year old and a 14 year old, my parents figured we could handle the responsibility. Rats, bunnies and fish are one thing...but a dog was a huge undertaking. My dad was very strict about the fact that the dog would not be his. Said dog wouldn't be allowed on the furniture or the carpet. Originally he wanted it to be an outside dog, but conceded to let it sleep in the laundry room with a baby gate up. He would not walk the dog, or feed the dog. He wasn't necessarily an advocate for getting a family pet.
This makes it sound like my dad hates dogs. He really doesn't. I was really baffled by all of that. He was always telling my sister and I about fond memories of his dog growing up, Hildaguard the St. Bernard. I couldn't understand why he was being so down on this dog thing.
Anyway, one Saturday my mom went to the farmer's market to procure some produce, and the SPCA had brought some of the cutest and most adoptable dogs (and cats too, I'm sure...but who wants a cat??). My mom saw this one little terrier mix with a docked tail and it was all over (the dog my mom had growing up also had a docked tail). She called the fam down to approve, papers were signed and we were the proud owners of the cutest terrier mutt known to man-kind. She was our dog!!
In no time at all she was hanging out on furniture and in carpeted parts of the house. My dad treated her like a third child, and talked baby talk to her. He loved walking her. Yes, as down as he was on getting a dog, that's how much he ended up loving our Kylie.
When it came time for us to take a vacation, we had to decide what to do with our baby. My parents heard of a really sweet kennel, and we took her there! She loved it, it was like doggie camp. Anyway, as a Christmas present or whatever they gave us a mug with our dog on it.This really isn't a good picture of her, she kind of looks like she's being strangled by the kennel guy. Here is a better one I think I was trying to take her to college with me, which is why she is in a box.

Sadly, Kylie passed away about two years ago while I was away working at summer camp. She was not the best behaved or smartest dog, but she is definitely missed!