Today is my Dogiversary!

Today is my dogiversary! It’s like an anniversary, only with your dog. I got my dog, The Tide, seven years ago today. I found her at www.petfinder.com. She was born in a litter of seven puppies and they were at the Pitt County Animal Shelter in Greenville, N.C., which is where I lived at the time. It was $50 to adopt and as soon as I saw that little gal, I knew she was going to be my dog! Today, it costs $75 to adopt – I guess the animal shelter has to change with the times too.

The picture at the top of this post is The Tide on the day I adopted her. She weighed only five pounds and you could see her rib cage. She didn’t like to eat a lot when she first came home. My assumption was that she was used to sharing food with other dogs and wasn’t used to having so much food at her disposal. Plus, I think she may have been the runt of her litter; but, I could be wrong, because she certainly isn’t a runt these days.

I was told by the animal shelter that The Tide would only be about 20 pounds, but after her first vet visit, I was given some large breed dog food and when I questioned it, they said that she was going to be about 75 pounds! Well, I couldn’t take her back so I was gonna have to deal with it.

A few months after I adopted The Tide, she started limping and after a trip to the vet, it was discovered that she had hip dysplasia, which is common in large dogs, but not usually until they are much older. My vet back in Alabama told us he could do surgery – replacing the ball and socket joints in her hips – and so my dad came and picked her up and drove her to Alabama to have her first surgery. While she was having her surgery and recuperating, I packed up to move back to Alabama myself. A few months later, The Tide had her other hip operated on.

The Tide's Hips

I’m happy to say that both hips have healed nicely and she is living a normal dog life. She still doesn’t realize that those hips of hers work well – after all, she could probably jump a fence if she put her mind to it, but she doesn’t think she can.

The Tide has been a great source of joy for me over the years. We have been loyal companions of one another and she had provided me with hours of laughter. She has quite a personality. Some of the funniest times are when she chases her tail – I can hardly quit laughing. My favorite moments are when we snuggle up together. She’s a great snuggler and a good protector. I am so thankful I adopted her – despite all the money she has cost me over the years. I hope we have at least seven more years together and even more if possible! Here’s to you The Tide – I hope you read this post!

My mom, me and The Tide  - on my 26th birthday

The Tide and my dad!

It's me and The Tide

The Tide - ears poked behind her head

The Tide usually keeps one ear up and one ear down.

My mom says she looks like Scooby Doo!