Get to Know Our Furry Friends
One of The Best Reasons to Celebrate
They say dogs are a man’s best friend. I have to disagree. They are everyone’s best friend, well unless you are a cat or happen to be allergic. They are loyal to a fault and will forgive you for your stupid mistakes. Let’s also not forget that they love their families unconditionally. So this year on August 26th, I implore you to celebrate your Furry family member for National Dog Day. A few of the ladies here at The Basic Moms wanted to introduce you to their canine companions.
Claire’s Charismatic Chewy
This is Chewy. Chewy was a gift from my husband for my 25th birthday. We had just put down my childhood dog about a year earlier, and with my husband’s allergies I had already processed that we wouldn’t be getting a dog. Some breeds really bother his asthma.
The morning of my birthday, I was up getting ready for work as usual, and Ken was off to the gym. Well that’s what he told me. He returned with a puppy in his arms. My first thought was that he found a puppy outside and called animal control to come get it… That’s how far I was into the acceptance process of us not having another dog. And then he said “This is Chewbacca. Happy Birthday! We don’t have to keep his name Chewbacca”.
Backstory on his name…
Two boys heard something moving in a trash can. They found Chewy and named him Chewbacca and took him home. Sadly their mom said they couldn’t keep him, so they took him to the shelter. After they thought he reached 8 weeks old, they put him up for adoption. Ken went to the shelter and said Chewy just jumped up on him and wouldn’t let go.
So when Ken “went to the gym” he really went to his friends house where Chewy had been hiding out the last couple days. We are Star Wars fans, but not like on a crazy level, so we did try coming up with other names, but always kept calling him Chewy. He’s really been the best dog and the best big brother to his little human. He also knew I was pregnant before I knew.
Erin’s Loveable Henry
This is my neediest child, Henry. He can be found barking at the wind, rolling in his best gross finds, eating ice cubes on our carpet, licking toads and frogs or practicing his best Baywatch reboot lifeguard skills by our pool.
He is wicked smart, but also so dumb. AKA Buyer’s Remorse or Henny, which makes it sound like my toddlers named him after the booze. We also have 5 cats, 1 bigger than him. He may think he is a cat and groom like one with his nub legs.
Carrie’s Cuddly Rescue Crew and Her Pandemic Pooch
These two are Mylee (black) and Bronco (blonde). They are 13 and 14. Both rescues. They got me through my husband’s Marine Corps days and helped me make best (human) friends because they were a shared interest when I didn’t have kids.
The first day we got Bronco he was scared and skittish of the world. The leash broke and he took off and ran 2 miles. My husband finally found him curled up in a bush. He was very abused (from his demeanor) but he is the best dog. Always so gentle with our kids and has tea parties and gets dressed up.
He still greets me at the door even though walking is hard. When the kids were babies he would check on them while they were sleeping and get up with me every time I nursed or pumped. Once I was walking down a very busy street and Bronco got scared and slipped out of his collar and bolted. I was running like a madwoman chasing him and a police officer pulls over and stops traffic on a 8 lane intersection. She asked “how can I help?” I said can I use your backseat to get him in the car? She said of course and opened the door. Sure enough he jumped in and I got in behind him. Then she drove us back to where I left my other dog Mylee with the church group. And that’s how I rode in the back of a cop car.
Mylee is my feisty grandma dog. She barks and sets off the noise warning on my Apple Watch. She’s a snuggler and always needs to have a blanket. She just needs a warm body and a hand to pat her. She will tell me when it’s time for bed by running up the stairs and staring me down.
This is Elway. He was a January 2020 puppy that now knows what “go to work means” and he will bring his bone and lay in my office with me all day. If he is not working with me he loses his marbles and steals shoes because he is mad. The song “Wrecking Ball” should be his theme song. He is 80lbs and thinks he is 20 when he sits on you.
Heather’s Joyful Jasper
Jasper came to our family out of necessity. We have always been a dog family, but made the long and heard decision that we needed a service dog for our then 3 year old son (he is now 8) who is on the Autism Spectrum. It was a little over a year before Jasper was finally in our home full time after proper training and certification. He is a loveable ball of fluff who we couldn’t live without. Side note: Jasper somewhere in the recesses of his mind believes he was meant to be a lap dog. Don’t tell him he’s really 94 pounds and almost 6 foot tall on his hind legs.
We also were previously blessed with 3 sweet as sugar pooches that all lived well into their teen years and forever left their mark on our family. The adorable ball of fluff above is Rikki. He was physically a member of our family for 14 and a half years. We all miss him dearly, but know he’s waiting for us on the other side of that rainbow bridge.
Do you have a canine kid you would like to tell us about? How do you celebrate the furry friends in your life? Drop your thoughts, feelings, and suggestions about National Dog Day into the comments section down below.
