Meet Breezy

We’ve had her for over a year now. Got her on St. Patrick’s day of 2012 from Austin Pets Alive. Supposedly mostly Pit Bull, Breezy has proven to be incredibly submissive, to other animals and people. She’s been great with the kids and with strangers too. I don’t think she’ll be saving any lives or halting any burglaries, but you never know. Unlike the Red Dog, she’s not once made an aggressive move, not toward me or the kids. She seems too perfect to let go.

She loves to sleep late. She’s green-eyed and naively optimistic. Imperfect. Her ears don’t match. Her smile is crooked but constant. Her belly is soft. She loves shoes and Barbie dolls. She’s clearly intelligent, and obviously ADD. Her short-term memory spans about 45 seconds. She loves to play, be outside, sit on the porch, and cuddle. She’s a messy eater. And drinker. She’s sweet and loyal and stubborn. She breaks things. It’s like she’s absorbed a few characteristics from each of her people. She belongs with us.

Jonathan bought her for us about six months after he moved out. She’s turned out to be one of the loveliest gifts he’s ever given me, although I confess I questioned it at the time. You want to get a dog? For the kids? But you travel all the time. I’ll have to do ALL the work…

Turns out, once you forget what it’s like to not have a dog, the work is trivial. And seeing as Jonathan generously pays for half the vet bills and watches her when I’m out of town, I don’t hold the burden all to myself. And then there’s the fact that I’m in love with her. She’s an affectionate one. Against my better judgment, she sleeps with me. And she’s smart. She can sit. And shake. And lie down. We’re still working on Stay. And the jumping up to greet people with giant paws and tongue. But in spite of these defects (and more), we’re gonna keep her around. She’s too imperfect for us to let her go.