A Girl & Her Dog

Next month our beloved Venom will be 1 year old. Several sources indicate that Labradors are puppies until they turn 2, but our dog looks nothing like the puppy he is. He's a huge, 80-pound rambling tornado of energy and playfulness 24/7 and on most days it's hard to tire him out enough to get a good night's sleep. I usually get woken up by an ice-cold nose pressed lovingly against me at 4am, it's owner desperately needing to drag me outside and run around because he's reached his maximum limit of staying still. I'll be honest... I love my sleep, and I sort of despise those wake-up calls, but he's my dog and I love him anyway. The following is a list of things I have learned over the almost-year of dog ownership, all thanks to my loving giant, Venom.

1. Be friendly to everyone, even if they're scared of you. Eventually, anyone will learn to love you. 
2. Most things can be fixed with a nice, long walk. 
3. Material things are replaceable. 
4. Forgive the bad stuff. It's ok to hit the reset button.
5. Enjoy car rides. 
6. You can do anything for the right prize. 
7. Play as hard as you can for as long as you can.
8. When you are happy, let everyone know.
9. Be grateful for all the little things.
10. Always walk in like you own the place. 
11. Say hello to everyone. Twice. 
12. Love unconditionally.
13. Say yes to dessert. All. The. Time. 
14. If you're bored enough, anything can be a toy. 
15. Eat healthy or face the consequences. 
16. The more you bathe and groom, the more people like you. 
17. Be obedient when it suits you. And when it doesn't, make the most of law-breaking. 
18. If you have something to say, speak up. 
19. Enjoy attention and let people touch you. 
20. Make family your favorite thing about life.

And to honor his almost-birthday, here is a recap of some special moments in the past few months. 

The day we brought him home

The day he got a manicure (in support of breast cancer awareness)

The day I thought it was ok to leave him out of his kennel.

The day he was used as a pillow 

The day winter was over.

The day he discovered the bathtub

The day he discovered the beach

The day he thought he was a lap dog

The day we all needed a nap

The day he wanted to wrestle

The day my mom liked dogs

Venom is truly something else... He has this maniac energy about him that makes ANYONE like him, my parents included. I took him for a visit and he was actually allowed to sleep in the bedroom with me!

I truly wish I said this more often: I love my dog. There are so many things I'm still learning how to deal with, like all the destroyed household items (including a $600 pair of sunglasses and a $200 pair of boots) and the constant hair on everything I own (or will ever own, it seems like) and the fact that no matter how many times I present him with a nice, clean, fresh bowl of water, he insists on drinking out of the toilet. Still, he has taught me enough and has given me so much unconditional love that I'm willing to overlook all those things and let him be his doggiest self. Happy almost-birthday Venom!