Meet the Kids – Nefi

My dogs are a big part of my life.  I love them like most people love their children.  I realize that, no, they are not kids, but they are cared for like a member of the family.  There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for them.  I say all this because a lot of posts are probably going to be about them.  So I figure I should introduce them as co-writers of this blog because some of the stuff they do I couldn’t dream up if I tried.

Before getting a dog, we carefully researched the best kind of dog for our lifestyle.  For example, one of our roommates owned a sweet-as-ever Pit Bull.  We loved her and would have loved to get one (actually we wanted to keep the dog and lose the roommate) but she was too much for me to handle on my own.  Since my husband frequently traveled for work, Pit Bulls – and any large dogs for that matter – were out of the question.  My husband was dead set against a terrier because of the “yappy” quality they have, so we looked into the toy group.  Not only were pugs adorable, but here was the description of the breed:

The Pug’s reason for living is to be near their people and to please them, and their sturdiness makes them a family favorite. They are comfortable in small apartments because they need minimal exercise, but the breed can adapt easily to all situations. The Pug sheds, but its short coat requires little grooming.

- American Kennel Club

So let’s get this straight:

• Wants to please me – check
• Good for apartment living – check
• Minimal grooming – check
• Minimal exercise – check

It’s like the pug was meant for lazy people, like me!  On top of that pugs hate extreme weather, so they tend not to dilly-dally when it’s hot outside or when it gets cold.  SOLD!

Yeah, I wouldn't trust us either.

We tried to go through a pug rescue group but were told we “wouldn’t make a good forever home because we lived in an apartment.”  Huh.  Like that was going to stop us from buying a dog.  We met someone on our block who owned a pug, Wrigley, as in the field (what, we lived 3 miles west of it) and they told us about a great breeder in Indianapolis.  We originally wanted a little boy pug that we saw on their website, but he was taken.  Our soon-to-be-baby was part of the newest batch of puppies that hadn’t even been put up in the “puppies available” section yet.  A money order over-nighted to the breeder secured her as our own.

 

I've got you wrapped around my finger
and you've only seen my picture

Meet Nefi the Pug (full name Nefretiri which was the princess of Egypt from The Ten Commandments).  She arrived almost 3 months to the day of our wedding.  She was nervous, but after a couple of days figured out we were suckers for the sad pug face.  The spoiling and snuggling began.

Probably one of my favorite pictures of Nefi, ever.
That's her on the right.

We did have a couple issues at first.  One of the only pieces of clothing Nefi has EVER eaten were my shoes I wore at our wedding.  I blame myself for leaving the door open, but I think the look of abject horror on my face was enough to deter little Nefi from ever doing that again.  She was easily potty trained, but she had a habit of slipping out of her harness which would result in a game of pug-catch-me-if-you-can on city streets.  Then one day she couldn’t stop going to the bathroom.  I got concerned and rushed her to the vet.  Turns out she had a common puppy virus, but it had spread into her little puppy lungs and turned into pneumonia.  She spent 3 days at the doggie hospital, but she pulled through like a champ.

There better be treats in this bag
or you're a dead woman.

Nefi traveled with us and was part of our move to Hawaii.  Unfortunately, she was too young for all of her shots and tests, so she had to go into quarantine for 4 months.  I spent my days sitting with her in her dog run and crying when I had to leave at night.  The day she was sprung from the joint was one of our happiest days in Hawaii.  At first she was a little leery and moody.  We even joked about her having a list of “people she wanted to kill” like Max Cady in Cape Fear, and we were both on the list.  However, our arrival at the dog park turned into pug bliss.  She ran the perimeter of that dog park like a psycho.  She even took out an Akita at the legs to get his toy.

I know this looks bad, but I'm in total control!

Nefi has become a star every place we’ve lived.  People are drawn to her.  We called her the Mayor of Makiki (our neighborhood in Honolulu) because when we would arrive for our nightly walk to the local park, she quickly would hold court with her dog friends.  She’s an excellent big sister to our other two dogs, but she is clearly the queen of the castle.  Nothing gets by her… nothing. 

Domo Arigato, Mommy.

Nefi is our constant companion and has seen my husband and me through the heartbreak of losing another puppy to illness.  She’s not the snuggly type, but when you need some TLC, she’s the first in line.

And I’d never tell the other two this, but Nefi will always be my baby and hold a special place in my heart.  What can I say?  I’m a sucker for that face.