memories.

you ever meet those people that are fanatical about their pets? they refer to themselves as mommy or daddy to them; they allow those filthy creatures to sleep in their bed, sometimes under the covers; they buy overpriced bedding and a plethora of treats and accessories - you get the idea. well, i used to be one of those people. it's really hard for me to imagine my life any other way than how it is now, but not too long ago, benji and i's world revolved around our bulldog. and just when we thought our life wasn't crazy enough, we added another. and then another to the mix. these bulldogs took us by storm, wormed their way into our hearts and completely melted us. never have i been that attached to something that couldn't communicate verbally to me (although one look in kager's eyes and you knew exactly what he was thinking... "love me, hold me and never leave me.") truly.

kage was born halloween of 2003. we scooped him up from his hillside home the last weekend in january of 2004. it was a sunday. and you know how the puppy search goes let's just go look. well, within a few hours, we were headed down the highway with a bulldog on my lap already smitten by this shy little boy. fast forward 3 years, and he still insisted sitting on your lap, all 88 pounds of him. kager's life ended tragically and obviously way too short. tomorrow will be 3 years since he left us. it's seems ridiculous that i would remember this day and mourn for him still, but i can't lie. i miss his fat head incredibly so. i'm pretty sure i always will.







dunkin. the dunk. doug. dunki. how on earth could something so ugly (and yet so cute) and be part of our family for such a limited time make such a huge impact? yes, he was not the easiest bulldog to look at. and he may have had explosive diarrhea several times a week (always), ok and he liked to bite me in the butt but really, who couldn't love a face like this?! (ok, maybe just me.) again, his life was not that of quantity but he had fun, got dirty, ate things he shouldn't have and played with two other bulldogs that liked to rough house as much as he did. and most, most, most importantly, he was loved. two years since dunkin's passing was yesterday. dunkin rests in our backyard underneath jackie's playhouse. i think jack would have loved playing with dunkin. i could envision hours upon hours of playing chase.






anyone that has owned a dog (and yes, i'm intentionally leaving out cats) knows the bond that forms when you welcome one into your home; they truly do become part of the family. we would be thousands of dollars richer, i'm sure, if we would have not bought dog beds and chew toys. we would not have had ruined leather couches or pairs of shoes or corners of the stairs chewed off. but the marks they left on our hearts, well, those will be there forever i'm sure. i can't imagine ever reliving that time in our lives, being crazy enough to have over 200 pounds in bulldogs, but i can't imagine not having the memories of such a joyous time being young, that impulse (what's another one?!) and so in love with something so ridiculous.

i miss you boys.



kager 10-31-03 to 6-13-07
dunkin 4-16-04 to 6-11-08