Happy Birthday, Dewey!

We passed a major milestone this week -- Dewey turned one year old! He celebrated by chewing on a special "birthday bone" and cuddling with his parents on the couch (yes, we caved in and now let him on the couch!). It's hard to believe that nine months have already passed since we adopted this little guy. He consumed our hearts so quickly after we brought him home, and now we cannot fathom our life without him in it. We learned early on that there is a reason why puppies are so cute - it's their best defense mechanism when they pee, chew, destroy! All Dewey has to do is flash his golden eyelashes at me and I forget anything he's done. Actually, we've been lucky through puppyhood with Dewey. Potty training was the big struggle, but we got off easily otherwise. The only fatalities have been his own toys. He's a very social puppy that looks forward to his daily noontime romps at the dog park and evening playtimes with his friends Hazel, Bailey, and Ty. (Truth be told, Dewey has a larger social circle than we do!) Dewey is also a lover. The first day we brought him home he simply wanted to sleep curled up in our laps...35 lbs. later, that is still all he wants to do! He spends his typical day curled on top of Jon's feet while he works or "watching TV" (i.e., looking out the front windows to watch the comings and goings of the street).

We don't know much about his parents, except that his mother was kept chained up in a backyard near Wilmington and his father was a stray. Dewey was one of nine boys in his litter, the second litter rescued from that same home. Despite his rocky start to life one year ago this December, he has already grown up to be a gem of a dog that adds much love to this world. Happy birthday, Dewey!