From The Past: September 15, 2004

Having Guido is like having a baby; not a newborn baby, but an eight-month-old. He takes naps, pees, poops, eats, and wants lots of attention. If I’m not playing with him, he lies down and goes to sleep. I guess he figures it’s boring around here.

When he’s asleep I am constantly checking on him. It’s just like with a crawling baby: you have to make sure they haven’t woken up and aren’t roaming around. I have to make sure that I’m around and alert so that I can take him outside. He learned today that if he scratches at the back door, I will let him out. He loves being outside. At first, he was afraid of our tall grass (it needs to be mowed) but now he flops right through it gnawing on the very tall blades.

These past two nights he has slept with Kevin and me. Tuesday night was rough and we hardly got any sleep just because this other being was in the bed grunting and snorting with us. Last night we were so tired that we went right to sleep and there were no problems. Guido knows when we put him in the bed, it is time to go to sleep and he lays right down.

So far, I am extremely impressed with him. He is very smart, playful, and friendly. He is so outgoing that I can’t imagine anyone not taking to him. He also doesn’t seem to mind riding in the car. We bought a container to put him in so that whoever is in the passenger seat can hold him in their lap. We put a beach towel in the bottom of it for his comfort. He hasn’t gotten sick yet and he is starting to look out the windows.

I have surprised myself with how comfortable I am with Guido. I was always raised with dogs and loved them, but I was NEVER going to own one! It just goes to show that you can’t help who you fall in love with. I do love him dearly. As a matter of fact, when I look at him the words from Walt Disney’s Cinderella movie come to mind:

So This Is Love

By: Ilene Woods

So this is love, Mmmmmm

So this is love

So this is what makes life divine

I’m all aglow, Mmmmmm

And now I know

The key to all heaven is mine

My heart has wings, Mmmmmm

And I can fly

I’ll touch ev’ry star in the sky

So this is the miracle that I’ve been dreaming of

Mmmmmm

Mmmmmm

So this is love

Currently (2020): Reading these words about Guido brings back so many happy memories. He was a wonderful friend and companion who we loved very much. After last night’s blog post, I dreamed that we got a new dog. This one was much larger though.

People ask me from time to time if we plan to get another dog. The simple answer is no, we don’t.

We don’t want our hearts broken again (and that is a certainty with pets).

We don’t want to start over again with the learning process: pee outside, poop outside, we don’t chew on furniture, etc.

We don’t want the bills -vet bills, food bills, grooming, training, etc.

The simple fact is that our lives have changed dramatically since 2004. We are so busy that we don’t have the time or desire to care for a dog at this time. We love animals and love visiting with them, but we also enjoy the freedom we now have.

The good thing about this is that Guido will always and forever be our #1 fur baby 🙂