Henry's 1st Birthday!

Although I hadn't found him yet, one year ago today, Miss Georgia Peach was working on delivering six beautiful, tiny babies--- third in line was my little man. He weighed in at a whopping 1#3oz and came into this world, like all puppies do, with an inability to see or hear. His sense of sight would develop as he grew, but his happy little world remained quiet. Peaceful. It's not slowed him down one bit and, and today, we celebrate one of the happiest puppies ever.

I've told the story before: I was looking and looking for the perfect little Dane pup in need to join my life and one night in early December a Facebook post had me too excited to sleep. The next morning,  a couple of phone calls with some wonderful folks about an hour away and a short car ride later, I was on my way home with the squishiest little (27#) ball of love. (I mean, I could have had him sooner if Chris didn't make me wait until a reasonable hour to make the phone calls, but I suppose that's okay... ;) )

On my birthday, I got a package from my mom and a belated gift from my dad; so far today, we've gotten two packages (addressed to Henry) in the mail and an awesome montage of his first year sent to us. He's a special little dude, and whether you tolerate his mom's incessant Facebook posting or not, please be warned that today will be a doozy! Also, please give your own little boogers a snuggle and an extra treat to show them just how much you love their stinky, furry little butts.

And now, some never before seen baby pictures:

 

  Happy birthday, little man! Mom loves you!

Henry's girlfriend

Look out world... Henry has a girlfriend! Now, this is nothing new, it's just not been previously advertised. I'll explain... Since the second the Duke of Deafness came home in December, he's charmed everybody he meets:

Clearly, his momma is just enchanted by him.

Henry got to meet his Auntie Sarah just before Christmas in December 2012 and the two were immediately in love

Aunt Kari has always been one of Henry's absolute favorites.

And although Chris talks tough, I find my boys like this...

Even his newest best buddy, Taj, was totally excited to meet (and wrestle) Henry.

But from the beginning he's had one true love. You see, when Henry came home in December, the first of Mom's friends to come see him stole his heart. She gave him treats, she let him chew her shoelaces, and she even brought with her a pretty awesome dude to serve as a wrestling buddy... it was love at first sight. And to this day, Henry can't get enough of his first love:

Henry + Cassi = 4ever... sorry, Jared...

Henry's first autumn

Henry was born October 3rd, 2012, which means he never really got to experience fall. He was little nugget when snow fell. (It might not have been my wisest decision to do a majority of a puppy's housebreaking December-February, while staying on the third floor of an apartment complex... but I digress.)  Regardless, fall is coming again, and Mr. Henry has a few new experiences in front of him. He would just like the world to know that he's through-the-roof excited for fallen leaves, trips to the cider mill, and getting all dressed up to greet and treat children on Halloween. #mommahasbeensewing!

Look out world, Henry is lovin' autumn.

Seeing birdies

So... I rarely close the door to the office, which is at the bottom of a flight of stairs. But tonight, Henry's kitten, Bruce, was causing trouble.  For those just tuning in, meet Bruce:

Henry and his kitten snuggle

See, Bruce is five and a half months old and, as such, a rapidly growing boy.  He. Eats. Everything. Cat food. Dog food. Dog treats... As a matter of fact, Henry and Bruce both know the cookie jar very well--- Bruce knows the sound of it opening and Henry knows he gets a treat when Bruce runs to the jar. 

Boys, begging for treats.

Well, Bruce's appetite is so veracious that he often eats all of the food in the cat bowl; the big cats, who like to eat some and come back for more later, are left with an empty bowl upon their return. Tallulah and Marley, although plenty capable of pushing that lil' squirt out of the way, put on their whiny passive pants and cry to mom instead.

 So today, we decided that they would have some solo time in the office to eat their noms without treat of Bruce's appetite. Their food is in the office at the bottom of a flight of stairs. I closed the door and locked the kitten out. 

In his puppy nature,  Henry usually skips the last 3-4 stairs in the flight and jumps across the landing into the office, especially while running laps. Mr. Henry likes to do laps twice a day. (Does anybody else have a pup who gets the zoomies after emptying the tank?)  After coming in from a good squat, we heard a giant thud and my pup came running in looking confused.

Henry would like to know, "Who closed the door?" He's surely seeing double and has severely bruised his ego after careening head first into the structure. He is now strategically stationed within my line of sight, so I'm sure to notice just how sad he is. Poor guy never saw it coming. Bruce has yet to apologize; he's too busy protesting his lock out. The door has also made it out unscathed, despite odds being sorely out of its favor. #nopuppieswerehurtinthemakingofthisblogentry

Henry the Brave?

I can't count the number of times somebody has shrugged away from my big, intimidating puppy. Sure. He's huge. I get that. I'm not offended when you switch sides of the street to avoid the dangerous beast--- I giggle, but I'm not offended. #nobodywantstobelickedtodeath #wrinkleskill

All jokes aside, I get it. I know he's 140lbs of mush--- but they don't. So... I thought I'd share some of Henry's braver moments:

Henry is afraid of his own reflection and the reflections of people (me) in the TV, windows, etc... Nightly we spend lots of time trying to convince him that nobody is actually staring through the window. It starts with furious barking, and ends with:

Henry also doesn't like being surprised--- Allan taught us that one evening when we all should have been studying.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10103816493263724&l=2127414081223669586

All of this is pretty entertaining, but what takes the cake is that Henry is afraid of "scary movies." Now, I'm a little wiener when it comes to scary movies #paranormalactivitymakesmecry But we're not talking traditional thrillers here... Henry is afraid of the mean dogs in movies and TV shows... No... seriously...

We first discovered this while watching Homeward Bound II- Lost in San Francisco. Henry was delighted to watch Sassy, Chance and Shadow as long as they were gallivanting without confrontation. But enter a mean dog, growling, snarling, attacking, and Henry is in my lap. All. 140. Pounds. And it's not just movies--- watch Henry watch an episode of Dog Whisperer which featured two aggressive Great Danes:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10103875759658394&l=2551843433800088002

So when you switch sides of the street or leave the aisle at the pet store to avoid my big, scary pooch, I can't help but chuckle--- afterall, I spend the evening trying to convince my boy that the chihuahua on the T.V. isn't going to get him.

Henry's heterosexual life partner

This week a new member was introduced to our little veterinary school family. My roommate Annie has adopted a retired military dog and brought him home for all of us to love #mopuppiesmosnuggles Meet nNick; nNick has two Ns because he's just too awesome for one.

nNick is a nine year old, Belgian Malinois who served our country since youth; he's survived tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. And a couple of weeks ago, he was able to trade his bomb-sniffin' shoes for a life of snuggling, stealing the covers and being spoiled.

Henry wasn't sure what to do with nNick initially--- his stoic, reserved, non-responsive reaction to my hyperactive, in-your-face pup confused Mr. Henry. After about 20 minutes, Henry was back to his normal self, trying to play and run and get nNick to join in. Our new little guy was terrified. (That's a lot of dog running at you when you're used to more well-behaved types).


Slowly but surely, the boys are getting used to each other and even spent an evening making out--- clarified: While nNick was laying on the couch, Henry laid on the floor and licked the older boy's feet; nNick licked Henry's head while controlling  the pup with a hand on the shoulder.

Even Bruce is starting to get on board with our newest buddy--- as long as nNick keeps a safe distance of approximately 2-3 feet.

So... While we're still in the "slow and controlled" phase of the relationship, we'd like to welcome nNick to our little family. Expect updates about Henry's progress with him and as we all adapt to our  little house with 2.5 dogs, 2.5 cats, two third year veterinary students (and half-time, live-in, third year significant others), and a first year veterinary student. 

<3

Insurance for Henry

In my line of work, I get asked all of the time about pet insurance. Should I? Shouldn't I? Which company should I use? What kind of coverage should I get? And my answer is always the same: it really depends on your needs and the needs of your dog.

Henry recently became insured by Trupanion pet insurance, a company that covers darn near everything that I was concerned about for Henry. Although the premiums are high, until I'm a veterinarian, Henry will be covered. Far too many accidents or emergencies pop up for me to feel comfortable not being prepared. And remember, costs associated with emergency-type treatments are often related to size/weight of the dog.

So, boring as this post is, it's a quick way for me to say that this big, deaf boy is covered and to offer to answer any questions you the reader may have about insurance coverage for your pet.

It ain't easy being dorky...

Henry loves everybody. Not everybody loves Henry. Since the day that Henry came home, he wanted to make friends with all of the little furry creatures around him and has found it exceptionally difficult. When Henry was smaller than her, (for approximately two weeks) Kira was apathetic and ignored the puppy. As he outgrew her, his attempts at tug-o-war yielded an annoyed border collie---she just wanted to play with the rope toy alone, damn it! She didn't want to be sat on or snuggled with. #personalboundariesplease

Who needs dog beds?

Sitting at a safe distance

His attempts to pet the cats with over-sized paws left him scratched and whining. Tallulah was less than entertained when Henry attempted to play with her, dropping enormous dog toys square on her.

Basically, the general reaction to the puppy who is bigger than most adult dogs was a scowl, growl, nip, or bite.

They even have matching Doggles!

Then, one day, we realized that Henry needed very specific friends--- although we were unlikely to find any his size, we were able to find some friends who were too nuts to care about how big he is: Boxers, Labradors, and Huskies. And so began "Bad Dog Playdates"

Bad Dog Playdates were an opportunity for excited dogs, who love other dogs but can't seem to play politely, to get together and get rowdy. Henry's first date was with his Grandma's dog, Stella. Stella is a two year old Boxer, with the wiggliest tush you've ever seen.

Playing outside (their first overnight playdate!)

Playing at Grandma's

Exhausted!

Stella usually sleeps for 3 days after Henry visits--- Grandma too!

 Bad Dog Playdates soon expanded to include a pair of huskies--- Robert's handsome man, Loki and Charissa's new addition, Ace. The huskies came over one sunny afternoon and Henry was in puppy love with his new buddies! Ready for cuteness overload? #readyornot #henrylikestospoon

Henry looks scared! Dogs who actually want to play?!

Ace didn't venture far from Henry's lips--- they are chewy and delicious Husky treats!

Henry prefers to be the big spoon, surprise surprise. These two gentlemen developed quite the puppy bromance.

Somebody just said (signed) something really funny, I suppose.

C'mere little one! Let me chew on your lips!

 And so Bad Dog Playdate: Attack of the Huskies was a success! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10103524412570774&l=5203306540225472729

And it ended the way that all of Henry's playdates end:

So if you  have a big naughty dog who just happens to love other big naughty dogs, let's get a playdate on the books! This mama could use some study time!

Henry and his kittens...

Since the day Henry came home, he's been pretty interested (obsessed) with the cats. Meet Marley and Tallulah:

Marley is a seven year old domestic longhair cat who was adopted from the Michigan Humane Society in August 2006--- she spent her first couple of years, traveling. First, we spend time in Rochester Hills, then East Lansing, then Quebec and back to Rochester. She's a talker. She loves to yell and will do damned near anything to find out what is in the can you just opened.

Tallulah is going to be 5 years old on October 3--- she and Henry share a birthday! She was my first foster failure from Michigan Humane Society. She came home with me at only four weeks of age! (It's a rather good story: a lady came into MHS with a duct taped cardboard box and welding gloves describing the vicious feral cat she caught... with her welding gloves... worried about the neighborhood children. Out pops lil' Lou... She had my heart.) Lou tries to talk, but has a broken meow-er. She's close to obsessed with Chris and sleeps between our feet every night. Lou loves dogs; Kira is her best friend.

When Henry came home, it took  him all of 42 seconds to realize that there were cats in the house--- he had sisters! Best. Day. Ever.

Tallulah was curious. Marley was... nowhere to be found. Tallulah's curiosity continued for awhile, until Henry decided that they were going to snuggle and darn near broke her spine. She decided to watch from afar while Marley was... still nowhere to be found.

Eventually, Marley came out to say eff you hello and the result was a sad puppy with a scratched nose.

But Henry didn't give up and eventually peaceful coexistence reigned. I mean, it was inevitable; Henry preferred cat toys, he loved hanging out with the cats, and he basically wanted to be a cat. #identitycrisis

Henry and Marley, watching TV with Ma

Henry prefers cat toys; occasionally he walks up to me and 2-3 fall out of his jowls.

Marley, Henry and Kira.

Nothing was more exciting for Henry than when Mom and Chris brought home foster kittens. Seven kittens, different ages, all interested in puppies joined our little family, and albeit (mostly) temporary, Henry was elated!

At this point, I think it's important that I remind you that Henry doesn't realize quite how big he is. For fear of him crushing kittens, every interaction had to be slow and controlled. Henry was told to lay down and stay, and forced to let the kittens crawl on him. Eventually, he became very comfortable with little kitten feet and little kitten kisses. He even picked out his favorite kitten and made sure that the munchkin knew just how loved and protected he was!

Adorable snuggles.

Watch them love each other in action!

 He loved the boogers so much that we ended up letting him keep one! Bruce was the little orange male tabby who was always one of the most social in the litter. He loved Henry, Kira, Tallulah and Marley. He was the perfect fit! So Bruce got to stay. Everybody, meet Bruce, Henry's favorite kitten!

 

And finally, as an added treat, watch Henry attempt to be a kitten while playing with Bruce's laser pointer.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10103552711125244&l=8633758511020387856