Pet Appreciation Week: Aoki and Me

Next week is Pet Appreciation Week and because I am missing mine so much, I decided to dedicate this post to her! You ever watch the movie Marley and Me? The one where their dog is ill mannered, mischievous, and still manages to bring life to the family? Well, this is like that!

Image from movie Marley and Me

Our Australian Sheapard mix, Aoki (AYe-O-Ki) was only 8 months when we took her in. She was tiny with a big head, floppy ears, and big brown eyes (just like my me, my brother, and mom's eyes). She would cry all night long until I picked her up and let her sleep on my chest. She was almost like my first child! It took months for us to potty train her. She often peed right next to the pee pad rather than on it. No amount of carpet cleaner or wet vacs my mom bought could clean up her messes. As she grew bigger, she started nipping at our ankles because, well, she's a cattle herding dog and that's what they do. So while we started to feel like livestock, we also dove into the deep end of puppy chewing habits.

Aoki in her puppy days

Aoki didn't just chew up my good heels, she would find socks, underwear, toothbrushes, pillows, and disposed tampons to chew out of the trash (don't judge my dog lol). One time, she even chewed the plastic handle off of a pair of scissors. Who does that and how? The time I thought she was a goner was when she knocked the vent out of the bathroom wall, stuck her head through the vent and chewed up the computer cords on the other side. My mom was livid. But somehow, she kept Aoki. I will never forget the night that I woke up to her rolling around on the floor with the fan cord and when I went to grab it from her, I got a shock I wasn't expecting. Turns out she bit into the cord and was being electrocuted and when I grabbed it from her, it electrocuted me too. She literally cheated death that night. For the next month, she looked like Twoface from Batman.

Who wants to play?

The older she got, the more mischievous she would get. She started to do things like dig up our carpet to hide her raw hide bones around the house. She would pretend to bury it with her nose by pushing up imaginary dirt over the bone. If you touched her raw hide, she got even. She would pull out the trash, and drag the kitchen rag out into the middle of the floor to let you know she was mad. She started mouthing off to us and talking back. Then she turned to stealing. She would sneak in my brother's room and steal his food off of his plate and sneak out like she was never there. Then go and hide. She is absolutely obnoxious! Last summer she got sick and needed surgery so we got her stitches and staples and a cone so she wouldn't bite at them....well she busted the cone off and chewed the stitches and staples out 3 times. She cried all night every night just like she was a puppy again and when I told her to pipe down, she gave me attitude by grumbling and throwing her body down on the floor dramatically. She is worse than my toddler. She is moody and will growl at you with teeth then kiss you at the same time and then ask for your food.

She's such a sweetheart!

But through all the craziness, she is very lovable. If she thinks me and my brother are arguing, she breaks up the argument by getting in between us while on her hind legs and pushes us apart. She greets us with a hug on her hind legs every time (she is about the same height as me), she gives us kisses, lays on my lap while watching movies and eats all my popcorn, I ask her questions and she knows how to communicate her needs to me. If she thinks you are sad or are crying she will come and console you. If I ask her for a hug, she curves her neck around mine and we even have a "secret handshake". She drives us crazy but we love her to death. She lives in North Carolina with my mom but we miss her dearly and my daughter will call just to ask what Okie Dokie is doing. She is truly one of a kind!

Looking fashionable!

What is your pet like? What makes them special? What can you do to spoil your pet for the week? We get Aoki treats and toys that she rips the stuffing out of! Take some extra time for your pet if they aren't sick of seeing you at home from quarantine!

Beach Please!

P.s. It's also a full moon today and donut day! Maybe you could eat donuts with your pets under the moon!

With love,

Micole Elise