Crazy, Crazy Love

I am a dog person. I love dogs and I can't imagine my life without them. I love cats too, but too many in my family are allergic to them, including myself, so I love cats from a distance.

When we first moved into our house almost 17 years ago, the kids and I wanted a dog. We begged my husband until he finally relented. Seconds after he said "OK", the kids and I were in the car and headed to the humane society. (I kid you not, it was literally seconds!)

We got there and walked around looking at all the dogs. We all wanted one so bad, but they were either too big, not good with children, or just didn't respond to us when we approached their cage. We walked around looking at each dog several times but it just wasn't working.

I finally told the kids we needed to go and could come back next weekend. My youngest begged me to let them walk around one more time. Even though I felt it was useless, I agreed. I knew they wanted a dog as badly as I did, if not more so.

Suddenly, my daughter called to me and asked me to come to the cage she was standing by. So me and the boys rushed over to see what she was so excited about.

There, we saw the cutest little black dog who was wagging it's tale and licking her hand. The woman who works at the humane society was standing with her.

"Do you want to look at this dog," she asked? "He just arrived a little while ago and we just now put him in his cage." We quickly said yes, (There was another woman showing an interest in him so we wanted to grab him first.)

She took us out to a caged play area with him and he immediately started playing with the kids, running back and forth from one to the other. Then he jumped up on the stool where I was sitting and planted a big ol' kiss right on my cheek.

I was in love. I had to have that dog. The kids had to have that dog.

We told the woman that we wanted him. She had me fill out all the paperwork and pay the fee for him. He was approximately seven months old and the family that had him were being transferred to New York and couldn't take him. He'd been at the humane society just 30 minutes before we saw him. His name was Buddy.

We took Buddy home and he was the best dog I'd ever had.  He was gentle with the kids and loved to play with them.  He had one accident in the house, but never again.  He was easily trainable and did all kinds of tricks.  We loved him and were so thrilled to have a dog.

Of the years the kids grew up and started leaving home to start their own lives.  Buddy began missing the kids and started to get lonely.  So Jack had the great idea of getting Buddy a playmate.  I was not sure I wanted another dog until we met the cutest little puppy.

This is not my dog, but one that looks just like her. 
I don't have any puppy pictures of Bandit on my computer.

Jack took one look at this face and said we had to have her.  Of course I had to agree.  Buddy needed a playmate so we bought the puppy and brought her home.  I wanted to give her a cute name like Cuddles, but I was outvoted by Jack and Adam.  They said she looked like a Bandit because of the mask on her face.  I thought Bandit sounded too much like a boy's name but they didn't care.  So, Bandit became her name.  (Needless to say, every time we take her to the groomer, he puts a boy bandanna on her...even though we tell him she is a female!)

Buddy loved Bandit.  He had a little sister to play with and he sensed that he had to be gentle with her while she was still small.  It was so fun to watch them romp and play and love on each other as dogs will do.

Bandit was (and still is) a bit neurotic.  I do believe she was given to us at too young of an age.  (Six weeks.)  I think she was weened off her mama way too soon.  My reason for this, she licked my carpets like crazy!  Back then I had a white carpet, so it showed the dirt real good.  But with Bandit licking it like she did, I had white spots all over it.  It took us a long time to finally break her of this habit. 

Buddy lived for almost 17 years.  But he was getting old and had tumors on his body, was going blind and his heart was failing.  He was also suffering from arthritis and in constant pain.  The day finally came last October when we knew it was time to say goodbye.  It was a sad day and I cried like a baby when we put him to sleep. 

Bandit had a hard, hard time without her boy.  She became depressed and just laid around the house.  Jack and I both realized she needed another playmate so we started the search for a new dog.  And that's when we found Bailey.

Bailey was a victim of all the foreclosures in the valley.  She was found half starved and dirty out in the desert.  She was rescued by one of the rescue shelters and fostered out to another family.  They bathed her and fed her and got her back to being healthy before putting her up for adoption.  I saw her picture and fell instantly in love with her.

We were so excited to bring her home.  We thought for sure Bandit's lonely days were over.  Bailey loved Bandit instantly.  She understood that Bandit was the big sister and treated her as the alpha dog. 

Bandit, on the other hand, had always submitted to Buddy as the alpha dog, and had no desire to be top dog.  As hard as we tried, she just wouldn't be boss.  This has caused some stress for Bailey, because she really has no desire to be top dog either.  So they both decided mama (me), would be top dog. 

Bailey and Bandit do play together at times, but on most days you will find them like this...

Sometimes I wonder, had we gotten another male dog, would Bandit have been happier.

Recently, we had new neighbors move in next door.  They have a dog.  A  BIG dog.  It barks all the time and it has a big bark, so that's how we know it's a big dog. (Plus one day Jack decided to look over the fence to see how big it is.  He took a chair, peaked over, and this giant horse..okay, this huge Great Dane, jumped up and put his paws on my six foot fence and scared the crap out of my husband!)

We think it is a male, because Bandit sits at the fence and stares at the wall all.day.long.

Every day, no matter what they weather, she will be at that wall.

I mean literally, every single day, she is at this wall from sun up, to sun down.

Talk about crazy, crazy love!  I've thought about having the neighbors bring their dog out front (on a leash of course), and I'd bring Bandit out to meet him.  The only reason I haven't done it yet, is because I'm afraid the neighbor dog might think she's dog food, and eat her!

You don't see crazy, crazy love like this very often.  That is, unless you open a Bible and read about our God who is so in love with us, that He decided to come down in the form of man and give His life for us so that we can live with Him forever.  This Man chose to be called crazy, despised by many, called more names than we can imagine, be spit upon, beaten, and murdered by being hung on a cross, all because he is in love with us.  Talk about crazy, crazy love!  Awesome! 

John 15:9-17 (NIV)
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.

Be blessed,

Sue