Bonding With My Dogs

Yes, friends, another post about my precious dogs. What can I say? It doesn't take much to get me to talk about them. I've introduced them and talked about how they've improved my life. Today, I'm going to talk about how much we have bonded in the six years we've been together. I never thought that I would have such a connection with my dogs. I've been around dogs all of my life, but never actually had my own. So nothing prepared me for this bond I have with my dogs. Especially with Millie, my baby girl.

When we went to choose from their litter, I was instantly drawn to Millie. She was just the most adorable little puppy. She was only a couple of weeks old at the time but I was instantly drawn to her. There are times when I still see that little puppy running around. I was drawn to Toby too, he was just adorable with his big brown eyes but there was just something special about Millie. 

Even in picking her name, I knew immediately that I wanted to call her 'Millie' after Emilia Fox, one of my favourite actresses. Even when I tried to pick another name, nothing sounded right or suited her little face. She was my little Millie. With Millie I have so many nick-names for her. They range from Mills to Moo to Moo-Moo to Millie-Moo to Fluffy Bum. Yes, Fluffy Bum. She's so fluffy compared to Toby. His coat is so sleek and hers is so curly and fluffy. I swear, the white bits are curly and the black parts are straight. Like in my family, the girl gets the short end of the stick when it comes to the impossible hair.

The thing that gets me to most about Millie is her personality. She is such a joy to watch. She is so unbelievably clever and devious. She had my mum and me howling with laughter the other day. She and Toby typically get a treat after dinner from my mum. So I volunteered to give them their treats because I was sat right beside her. Done. Then Millie went back over to my mum and sat looking up at her, expecting a treat from her too. Well, we were howling. She is so cheeky and she knows that she gets away with it because she's so damn cute. I mean, just look at that face!

But the thing that makes me melt with Millie is when she just needs Mummy Cuddles, i.e. when she just wants to snuggle with me. I love it when she comes and cuddles up next to me on the settee and fidgets to no-end to get comfortable. Her favourite position is literally upside-down with her head handing over the edge of the couch. How that is comfortable, I do not know?

Also, I love it when she makes her way through the house and comes into my room, jumps onto my bed and snuggles into my side. My Mum laughs when she sees Millie coming through the kitchen to go to my room because she just knows that Millie's walk says, "I'm going to see my Mama". I love snuggles with Millie. She's so funny when she snuggles because when I stop petting her, she brings her paw up as if saying, "I didn't tell you to stop!" Demanding little diva.

Speaking of her being a diva. No word of a lie, she's a little poser. Honestly. I was taking blog photos one day and then turned the camera to her. I'm not lying when I say that she fidgeted for a good ten seconds before she settled into her 'pose' and legitimately looked at me to confirm that I could take her picture. Did you ever?

I just love snuggles with Millie. I love that she comes to me when she doesn't feel 100% or when she's had enough of everyone else.

I remember this time last year when she got stung by something. We couldn't be sure if it had been a bee or a wasp but something stung her and she was out-of-sorts. Like a worried mama, I called the vet and took her over. Thankfully, we live right beside our vet practice. After an antibiotic injection and a course of tablets taken home, she spent the rest of the night curled up on my bed. I could've fried an egg on her nose, she was that hot, but I kept her cool with a damp cloth on her nose and ears and paws. Even on my morning break at work the next morning, I called home to make sure she was okay. She's my baby girl.

With Toby, the bonding process was easier. Food. Food is the way to Toby's heart. Or cuddles. He is the biggest cuddle-bug I have ever encountered in a dog. He loves cuddling up next to me on the couch or on a chair. Even when I'm working on my laptop, I will spy his little face peeking out from the side as if pegging to be allowed to jump up. Sometimes he doesn't even wait for permission and just jumps up and makes himself comfortable with his head on my keyboard. 

I have lost count of the amount of times that Toby has fallen asleep on top of me after jumping up onto the chair with me. He just looks so cute curled up with his head on my cushion. He's just so cute. He's so affectionate. He will kill with kindness. I love when he stands on his hind legs and just wants a hug. Cuddle-bug. I love seeing him run towards me and then jump up to standing. He runs straight for the door when he knows you're coming home and keeps checking at the window to see what's taking you so long.

As a pup we bought him a vest that said 'Security' on it. Boy, did he take that to heart. He basically is House Security. He alerts us to anyone walking on the far side of the street or if someone has arrived next door. He may look and sound like a big boy, but he's a big softy and loves nothing more than having an arm draped around him. Whether we like it or not. He nudges right in.

Like a proper dog mama, I have taken countless pictures of my dogs. Trying to narrow down which ones I want to print off and put into a frame was a nightmare to say the least. It felt like Sophie's Choice. But for pictures. Which one do I choose? I don't have a plethora of wall space because girl needs her storage so I can't clutter every surface with photograph frames. Trust me, that's a dream. Then it occurred to me. What about a digital photo frame?

I actually used a digital photo frame when I went to GABIT's AT5 convention and I took about 200 photographs of Amanda Tapping. This was about 6 years ago now and I got a digital photo frame to showcase all of my photos and to remind me of the memories. Sadly, I think I broke it and haven't seen it in years so I'm on the look-out for a new one.

Naturally my first ports of call are Argos and Currys (a bust since they didn't have any I could find online). I heard of one that is on the pricier side but it offers such amazing extras. It links to your phone whereas most require an actual memory card. I don't want to lose a memory card, especially when I film videos for my YouTube Channel *cough*shamelesspluggosubscribe*cough*. With two dogs, I don't have the time to grab my DSLR camera and capture their cute moments. A phone is the fastest way for me to capture their crazy antics. Though I do catch them at times when their more agreeable to posing. That digital frame is the Aura Frame. I know, it's pricey. I personally wouldn't pay that much for a photo frame but it's an option to you if you're in the market for one and have the budget. I've read up on it and it has great potential. Plus they're partnered with Charity: Water to build wells for undeveloped countries and a portion from their sales of the Crystal Blue frame goes to it. You'll be doing good. 

As for me, I'll probably pop into Argos (and their limited options) and get one so that I can see all of my babies' antics without having to scroll through my phone. As I said, this bond that I have with my dogs in a bond unlike anything I've ever experienced with a dog. I loved my neighbour's dog but there is something about having a bond with your own dog that goes above and beyond. Like a mama of a human, I show off photos of my dogs on my phone to anyone and everyone that will listen. You have no idea what a talking point a lock-screen image of your dog in your father's jumper is.