Puppy Diaries: Meet Our Dogs!

Well, they’re no longer puppies! But Kodah definitely still acts like one!! I know I mention our dogs quite a bit in passing. If you follow me on Snapchat (username: sasofiab), then you probably see them now and then. We have two full grown fur babies. Josh and I are 100% dog people! So we thought we’d share a bit about them!

PS: This post contains an embarrassing amount of photos of our dogs! Talk about crazy dog people… A lot of them are personal photos, so some might be a bit grainy. I’ll include captions where I can!

SHADOW

Age: 7? 8?

Part of the family since: 2013

Breed: Chow-German Shepherd mix.

How did she join the family? In April 2013, I decided to ditch the idea of roommates and get my own apartment. I really wanted a dog. I grew up always having some sort of pet. I went to the Humane Society looking for a different dog, but she was adopted a week earlier! I was so bummed. So, Josh and I casually walked around looking at the other dogs. Shadow had the saddest eyes. She was completely shaved except for her head so she actually looked like she’d be a light grey dog (not black like her top coat). She was all the way back in the corner and when we past by, she walked up to the fence and just watched us with those eyes! The dog trainer there allowed us to meet Shadow before making a commitment. By this point, Shadow had been at the Humane Society for 6 (SIX!) weeks!! She was really shy, but also sweet. We went home without her that day. I talked to the apartments about getting a dog and they said to get it one soon because their management was changing in a week. We rushed back to the Humane Society and got Shadow! When we got her, she was thin, shy, and sullen. The people at the Humane Society were pretty confident she’d never grow her fur back. Now, she’s put back on her weight, she’s ridiculously fluffy, and a goofball of a dog!

Favorite part about Shadow? So many things! She was my dog before she became our dog. She is super cuddly! She also has quite the personality. She will absolutely scoot you off the couch if she wants it for herself! She also does this “happy dance” when we’re about to go for a walk or go play outside. It’s somewhere between a prance and a skip. She now also does this thing where she rolls over on her back and scoots her way across the carpet when she’s happy! It’s really cute!

Favorite memory of Shadow? I think it’s when we got Kodah. Kodah was teeny-tiny (hard to believe) when we got her. Shadow was not thrilled at first, especially when she discovered the new toys were for the puppy. A couple nights after getting Kodah, we watched Shadow approach her. By this point, Shadow refused to even go near Kodah. Kodah was chewing on this rope thing. Shadow slowly lifted her paw and patted Kodah on the head! She wanted to play, but I think Kodah being so tiny made her nervous so she bopped her on the head instead! Josh and I laughed so hard at that.

KODAH

Age: 2.5

Part of the family since: 2014

Breed: American Bulldog – German Pointer mix

How did she join the family? Growing up, Josh had a huge bulldog named Chunka. She was his childhood dog and when she passed away, he was devastated. For months after her passing, Josh kept talking about wanting another bulldog in the future. I could tell he was heartbroken not to have her anymore. So, I decided to do some digging on the Internet and we found this family that had bulldog mix puppies! I was hesitant because they were so young (7 weeks), but the family said they were leaving for a long vacation so it was now or never. We drove up to Phoenix, through a massive dust storm, and then through an intense monsoon. There were 3 puppies to choose from and Josh snagged Kodah because of her coloring (our “little” tiger dog!). I got to hold her the whole way back down to Tucson! She was maybe 10 lbs. by this point. For comparison, she’s now 100 lbs!

Favorite part about Kodah? She’s such a goofball and a huge sweetie. She’s the one I dub as our “problem child”. Ha! There are many a vet visit that happened because of our “little” problem child (even on the night of Thanksgiving, oy). She definitely still thinks she’s this little 10 lb. puppy. I think she’s a hilarious dog! She could be completely hyper one minute and the next being snoring on her back! She’s definitely helped Shadow become more playful. Before Kodah, Shadow had no interest in toys. I think she was out-and-out depressed, honestly. Now, they play together like best friends and I think that has all to do with Kodah!

Favorite memory of Kodah? Kodah is a definite klutz! It’s part of what makes her hilarious. She’s one of those dogs that smacks her face into something and then keeps going as though nothing happened. We live in an upstairs apartment and after a walk, the dogs love to race each other up the stairs. So, we usually let their leashes go and let them have at it. Well, Kodah got a little too enthusiastic one day and tripped halfway up the stairs! She didn’t bother to stop and lift her face off of the stair because she wanted to just keep going to beat Shadow. So, she clunked her face on the next 6 stairs up, tripping on each one! Once she was at the top, it was as though nothing happened! I definitely had to stop and catch my breath from laughing after that!!