Ode to Brady Bear

On November 22, 2008, after months of debate, The Wife and I took a ride to our local animal shelter to "look" at the dogs.  A new shipment of yellow Lab puppies had garnered the interest of most of the shelter visitors; however, we elected to bypass that area and make our way to the back room.  Honestly, it was love at first sight when this cute little guy looked up at us with his warm brown eyes, while his sister absolutely mauled him.  We were able to bring him to a private play room and he was slipping & sliding all over the floor.  He ended up falling asleep in The Wife's lap...I looked at her excited face and told the shelter volunteer "go get the paperwork."



Meeting Brady at the shelter



1st day at his new home

This was a totally new experience for me, as I never had a dog before.  I had been the one holding-out on getting a dog, because I like things orderly & neat.  We trained Brady to use the doggy-door to take care of his business, which still amazes me to this day.  I told The Wife, "if we can get him to become self-sufficient going to the bathroom, I don't care if he doesn't learn another thing."  I think he took these words literally.

As a pup, Brady was quite the collector...he would frequently gather up all the shoes in the house and bring them back to his dog bed.  Another time, he had stolen my wallet that I foolishly left on the coffee table & took it out to the back yard, chewing-up all my cards and leaving my license unrecognizable.

Quite the collection!


Once I finally decided to make an honest woman out of Brady's adoptive mother; we of course had him in the wedding.  He made a charming groomsman in his lilac bow tie and the crowd loved him!

There is a saying "cousins are often our first friends," and for Brady that was no exception.  His cousin Sadie taught him many things, including how to climb up stairs (though to be honest, this may have been more motivated by fear.)  Of course his next friend proved to be the love of his life: Sofia.  They first met on a snowbank at Forest River Park and mouth-wrestled for hours, while the humans shivered in the freezing cold.

"Playing" with cousin Sadie

At the beach with girlfriend Sofia



Holidays are Brady's favorite time of year, he loves to get dressed up for our annual Halloween party and loves drinking Christmas tree water whenever we're not looking.



Mommy & "Dogula"



1st Christmas

Many dog owners brag about how smart or brave their dogs are, well you're not going to get that in this blog.  Now, I won't say Brady is "slow," but let's just say "Lassie he is not."  He eats sticks, grass, really anything in our backyard, prompting those awkward phone calls from the Vet detailing the results of his latest stool sample.  Loud noises, including (but not limited to) thunder, fireworks, slammed doors, and fallen objects scare the beejesus out of him.  During thunder storms he insists on human contact and will sit on your feet or lean up against you for the duration of the storm.  I know you're not supposed to cater to this type of fear, but selfishly I like the affection...does that make me a good or bad dog father? 

As an only "child," Brady is very spoiled...he's definitely a "momma's boy," as The Wife takes him to the park every weekend for swimming and play (while his father trains for races he likely will never win).  The Wife operates on the assumption that "nothing but the best is good enough for my dog."  Natural dog food & treats...check!  Glucosamine for joint health...check!  Seasonal & Holiday themed dog collars...check!  I could go on, but I'm started to get aggravated just thinking about it.

Such a tough life.

Phelpsian!

Daddy's 1st open-water swim

He never listens.  His shedding is a nightmare.  I have to sweep the floor 2x a day and it still looks like a Barber Shop in here.  I find random sticks & tree branches in various rooms around the house.  And many of my favorite gym t-shirts/shorts have little holes chewed in them.  But for all that trouble, he pays it back ten-fold in humor, love, and affection.  Someone recently asked me what is the most I would be willing to pay to help Brady if he was hurt or sick...my answer: "what wouldn't I pay?"