Precious Little Paper Pleasures: A Girl's Best Friend

Cuddy is our schnoodle (half schnauzer, half poodle). I feel it is timely that I write a post about him and his two-legged sister being as he turns two tomorrow. Cuddy comes in at a whopping 11 pounds. He is a very high-energy dog and definitely a Mama's boy. When Howie is home, Cuddy spends his time in his crate or on the back of the couch. When I am home, he is typically curled up practically on top of me. As bedtime approaches, Cuddy whines at me until I head to the bedroom rather than just going to bed alone. When he is feeling starved for attention, he goes after something he knows he is not supposed to have and then makes enough noise to rival a herd of elephants so that someone will come after him. When he is feeling destructive, he waits until whoever is home is occupied in another room and then quietly goes after what it is he wants to destroy (i.e. shoes, socks, baby's toy). It is not until it dawns on us that we haven't heard or seen him for a while that we go looking for what trouble he has gotten himself into.

When we brought Stevie home, Cuddy went through all of the typical emotions a first-born experiences--first interest and adoration, then jealousy. The jealousy showed itself in Cuddy's overeager attempts at getting affection from guests, but more in the way that he would curl up in my lap while I was holding the baby, nursing the baby, reading to the baby, etc. Stevie was already used to his high-pitched barking from hearing him within the womb so she wasn't phased in her wakeful hours or while she was asleep when he would bark. He was forever wanting to give her kisses, but I was set on him not licking her mouth. He finally learned to stick to her hands and feet. When she was just months old and he'd lick her hands, Stevie began to close her hands around the fur under his mouth and he would freeze, look to me for help, but then ever-so-gently pull his face away from her. Now that she is older, she has decided for herself that it is okay with her if he licks inside her mouth so I will have to keep a closer eye on that. As she has gotten older and older, she finds Cuddy funnier and funnier in the way he sniffs at her neck, hands, and feet and in the way he rubs his body in circles around her as she sits on the floor or on the bed.

Cuddy's most favorite thing about having a little sister is the walks that he benefits from. When she was still being transported in a baby carrier, he was able to tell if we were going on a walk by if the baby was clicked into her carrier or not. I would put her in her carrier while I got ready and if he heard the click of the belt, he would go to his crate because he knew we were leaving. If he didn't hear the click, he would know a walk was in store.

Below are some pictures of a girl and her dog...