Happy birthday to my poodle

My dog remo is 11 today. Anyone with pets can relate to the way that animals have a way of stealing our hearts. I'm a dog person mostly, have had dogs my whole life and I can honestly say I would never agree to not having a dog in my home. Having dogs just makes a house feel like a home. When I was 19 years old, I moved into an apartment in downtown St. Charles. It was an apartment above a store on Main street. I couldn't wait to have a place of my own and when I moved into my apartment I took great pride in decorating and making it feel like home. What I wasn't prepared for was how lonely I would feel living alone. I had not only left my family home where my parents and my brother lived, but I was also living pet free. I didn't last long before I started searching for a puppy. The family pet I left behind was a black standard poodle named Jack. I love everything about poodles, especially that they don't shed! I knew I wanted a poodle of my own. My search ended when I came across a creme colored 16 week old poodle. My parents went with me to pick him up. There were two to choose from. The one I chose had slightly darker colored ears. So cute. We brought him home, I sat in the backseat with him for the long ride home. He kept reaching his nose up to my hair and sniffing me. It was creepy and sweet at the same time! Ha ! I looked through baby names and decided to name him Remo. Remo has been my buddy since the day I got him. He's got personality and he gave meaning to the term "fiercely loyal". He is protective of me to the point where he has to be locked in his crate when we have company and he and my husband have had a few alpha wars. :) I wouldn't trade him for the world though! He is a cuddly pup and I know I am one of the only ones that gets to appreciate that side of him. I am ok with that. I know he would die to protect me and for that I've always felt safe near him. I still remember my apartment days when I would hold him and he would hug me like a panda in a tree. Bystanders would make comments that he looked like a stuffed animal. He's fun and spunky and acts like he belongs in a circus if you give him a soccer ball. He's a great dog and I am grateful I've had 11 years with him.
We celebrated the way we always do; I stopped at the store with the kids and picked up a box of Frosty Paws (ice cream for dogs); both Remo and Franko got to enjoy an ice cream treat :)