I post tons of pictures of her, tweet about her, and take her just about everywhere with me. But I don't think I have ever
formally introduced her. She's our dog, a two-year-old love-mutt that we rescued as a little pup from the
North Shore Animal League.
When my husband and I bought our condo, we made sure it was pet-friendly. My husband wanted a big dog - a German Shepherd or Husky; while I love big dogs, with a 1,000 square foot apartment, I wanted something medium sized. When we went to the shelter to pick out a dog, most of the animals were barking, crying, bouncing, chewing, jumping - and then there was one, that was curled up in the back of the cage and only uncurled herself to lick your finger when you stuck it between the bars. I took her out of the cage, and she could barely walk - she had been found in a shoebox somewhere in the South, and never had room to move/walk, so her little legs were weak. She was the
sweetest little animal ever, perfectly happy to just curl up in your arms. My husband and I were smitten, she looked like the shepherd he wanted, but would thankfully end up being much smaller. We took her home then and there, and it was the best decision we've ever made.
We named her Juliet - after
Juliet Burke from the TV show
Lost. Some day if we have a male dog, he'll be named Sawyer. Yes, we are huge fans of Lost.
Juliet turned out to be perfect - she is, we think, part Shepherd, Border Collie and Chow (she has a black tongue, the tell-tale sign of a Chow-Chow). She stopped growing and weighs in at about 42lbs, which is the perfect size for our apartment. She is the most gentle animal ever, she is a super fast learner (must be the collie in her), obedient, loyal, and not at all mischievous.
Turns out, she is a major chicken. She's afraid of just about everything - from the garbage truck, to the vacuum, to her own water bowl - she runs and hides behind the toilet if anything spooks her. She is also a super athlete - maybe it's the collie in her, but she has be active
all the time, and she is one fast dog. Luckily we live next to a park (and have parents with big yards) so she gets lots of running in, but when we don't exercise her enough she ends up with doggy-anxiety that manifests as
light chasing or not eating. I've
never met a dog that doesn't want to eat, but she would 100% rather be playing with her toys than eat, and she
only eats when she is actually hungry. I should take a lesson from her!
She follows my husband and I around everywhere. She's not at all a morning dog, which is comical because she sleeps in our bathroom (don't know why!) and I have to literally drag her out at 6am when I need to get ready for work - when left to her own devices she'll sleep until noon-ish. But, once she is awake, she runs, runs, runs and runs some more.
Aside from the occasional anxiety, she is the easiest dog in the world to take care of. You tell her to sit, and she sits; tell her to stay, she stays; tell her to back up, she backs up; and you get the picture. She genuinely wants to do whatever you tell her, so she was super easy to train, and she even trained herself to do a few things (like ring bells when she needs to be walked).
So, world, I formally introduce you to Miss Juliet, aka Julie, who brings constant love, joy and companionship to my husband and I. If you're ever in New York City and need a really, really good fur-hug, just give me a call and Julie will be happy to oblige.
