See, I used to be very afraid of dogs. Unreasonably so, I suppose. No, I don't remember being bitten by a dog as a kid or anything like that (I get asked that a lot). I used to play with my aunt and uncle's dogs as a kid, but other than that I mostly remember being annoyed by most dogs, especially ones who would jump up on you and lick you when you came over to their house. I know, I know, they're just being friendly. But I don't like being startled and I guess this was a form of being startled.
Best I can figure is that dislike was coupled with a time when I was a freshman in college and I was in a car accident. My passenger and I were ok, but my car was undriveable. So we went over to someone's place who lived nearby so that I could use the phone, (I'm not *that* old but this was still before I had a cell phone.) When I went inside, this big dog jumped up on me such that its paws landed on my shoulders and it licked my face. I was already so shaken up from the accident, from my car being undriveable and needing to find a ride back to my college an hour away somehow, and knowing my dad wouldn't be very happy with the situation. So, mix that horrible feeling with a giant dog jumping up on me and licking me. I guess that's how you get a fear of dogs who jump and lick.
Ok, so that was 1993. Fastforward 11 years to 2004. My brother was working at a church camp in Missouri and took in a cute little puppy who wandered by.
Dan has always wanted to have a dog. So how could he resist? He named him Levi. Gave him lots of discipline and lots of love. Levi's grown into a very good dog.
I met Levi in Fall of 2004, and I did OK with him. At that point, he was still very much an outdoor dog, though, so he slept on the porch at my brother's house. Then in December of 2005 my brother moved back to Ohio. He and Levi stayed at my house for a couple of months. Levi loved my fenced in back yard and sure thought he was king out there.
(Here's Levi watching over the yard, and taking a nap in the shade.)
I think Levi was a little sad when they moved out.
(Levi in the empty spare room, after my brother's furniture was moved out but before my normal spare bedroom furniture was moved back in.)
Now, it's December 2006. And I am dogsitting this week, for the whole week, just me and the pooch. I have my normal spare room furniture back in my spare room, yet he still likes to sleep in that room. He know's that's "his room" still :) We're getting along very well. He's lying down, napping under my Christmas tree and it's so cute. Yes, I said the dog is so cute.
I've come a long way.
