My Baby Boy…

This is Ethel. I had her for a REALLY long time. She wasn’t terribly affectionate but she had her moments!

Let me state first off, I am no, I repeat NOT, a crazy cat lady. In fact, I only have one dog. No cats. Anymore. 🙂 Once upon a time, I had a dog – Bob – and a cat – Ethel. And before I go further, Bob was a girl. Story later!

This is Bob after we moved to Providence and she was about to go out in the snow!

Over time, they aged, as our pets tend to do. And eventually, Bob died. As most pet owners would be, I was Devastated. I was NEVER going to get another dog because this was just too too much. Too hard. Not something I would ever want to go through again.

Earnest Phred.

So naturally a month later I was the proud owner of a new dog. I got the same breed as before and I already had a name picked out. Phred. Cause, you know, the cat was Ethel. So, Fred and Ethel (I am super duper creative though so changed the spelling…). Then one of my friends who had helped me find Phred pointed out how earnest he looked in his puppy pictures. So he became Earnest Phred.

This was the day I brought him home.

These were recovered from underneath various seat cushions in the living room…

He’s a hoarder. There is not a room in my house that doesn’t hold a stash of hidden cookies and rawhide chews…And there are quite a few at my dad’s house. And probably my brother’s house too. Anywhere he’s been given a treat. There’s a few in the car too.  One night, I kept smelling beef in my sleep and could not figure things out. Then when I stuck my hand under my pillow I found out why…yep! A beef basted bone. Under my pillow.

He can walk on his back legs, something he learned when he first started going to school. We used to call him the dancing bear. Everyone in the neighborhood knows him – he loves the little kids and other dogs. And men. He knows that a baby stroller has a little person in it and will always stand and wait when he sees one in the distance!

He’s an amazing picky eater, even when it comes to his cookies/treats/snacks. And getting pickier as the days go by! He actually turns up his nose at treats he deems unworthy.

I can’t imagine now not ever knowing him and I can’t believe that within a couple of weeks of getting him I was trying to get rid of him!! So so glad no one wanted him!!  Tomorrow he will be 8 years old in People Years. Which makes him an old man in dog years I’m sure! He’s wicked smaht – and, as anyone who knows us can tell you, has trained me very well.

But I wouldn’t trade him for the world!

Who could refuse to give this face what he wants!!