Jade

My dog has this weird obsession with yogurt, specifically raspberry yogurt. And organic. She has good taste. I suppose it's not her fault she enjoys this delicious stuff so much - it's more mine for allowing her to divulge in it to begin with - but it's cute nonetheless.

I realize I haven't mentioned my dog very much since I started this blog. There's a lot of things about my life I have unknowingly left out of my writings. Anyway, I have a dog, and her name is Jade. She's a two-year-old yellow lab. A good family friend of ours has two laborador retrievers, one of whom had puppies during my last semester of grad school at Texas Tech. Though I wasn't sure if I was ready to commit to having an animal of my very own, the desire for animal companionship ultimately won the battle against my logic and common sense. In October of 2009, I brought home my very first puppy of my very own!

I had been pining for a puppy for some time at that point in my life, ever since my childhood dog, Sadie, had passed away in 2007. I have always had a soft spot for animals, and growing up I was the proud owner of 3 dogs, 2 cats, a plethora of fish varietals, and a hamster. Keep in mind that this was spread out over the course of 22 years, not all at once! When Sadie died, I was devastated. It happened during my last semester of school at Texas Tech, where I was obtaining my bachelor's degree. Sadie meant the world to me as a child. She was the dog I had grown up with and had so many fond memories of. She outlived my mother by a full year and half, and when she died it symbolized, in my eyes, the total collapse of my family as I had known it at that point in my life. I know that sounds dramatic, but after the death of a parent, you tend to hold onto whatever little pieces of normalcy you can, and that was one of them. She was my mom's dog, and she reminded me so much of her, that her death brought on a sort relapse of my mother's death. Anyone who has ever loved a pet knows the pain and heartache of losing that pet.

Anyway, my point is that it took me a long time to get to the point where I wanted a pet of my own. I have always loved labs; there is just something about the breed that I really connect with. They are such loving, fun, loyal animals. So it only made sense to stick with what I knew. I picked Jade up one weekend in October during a routine trip to Houston. I had been discussing with said family friend as to which puppy I wanted to take. He suggested I take Jade (who had a different name at the time that I can't remember...) because unlike other labs, particularly her litter-mates, she had a calmer side that balanced out her crazy, hyper side that the breed is known for. That and she had the prettiest green eyes, which is unusual for yellow labs. As it turns out, she is not a true yellow lab, but an albino chocolate lab, which explains her light eyes, red nose and pink skin.

The day I brought her home, she was laying in a little crate placed on the passenger seat of my car, so quiet and sweet-looking. I remember thinking "I am so not ready for this commitment!", but looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. She brings pure joy to my life, and I love her as if she were my child. Trust that there will be more Jade stories to come:)