This is Spike. I know, right? Pretty damn cute.
He's been a member of our family since early fall last year, which just happened to coincide with the departure of one of our last kids at home.Most of our kids are grown, leaving just one at home since last year. I had my first son at 18, and since we didn't have cable, we continued to have children over the next few years. After being blessed with two boys and two girls, we finally figured out what was causing the continual reproduction and we got my husband "snipped". That was 14 years ago, and in the last few years, the house has gotten a little too quiet for my taste. Though sometimes stressful, I really loved the sounds of a home full of kids and I still get a little choked up when I realize how grown up they all are. Anyway, back to Spike.
So, there we were in our quiet home, wondering what we were going to do to liven up the household a bit. Yes, we considered having kids again, BUT I firmly believe that every home should have at least two kids, and since I already have two grandchildren, I didn't think I really wanted to start all over having kids again. Can you imagine? Having kids who are younger than your grandkids?
Sure. I can see it now:
Me: "Mia?" (my granddaughter)
Mia: "Yes Oma?" (Oma is what she calls me, like grandma only not as old sounding)
Me: "Can you please pick up your uncle and bring him over here for me to nurse?"
Ummmm, I don't think so.
So, what then? Well, we decided to do what most middle aged, semi-retired people seem to do when their children leave the nest: we bought an expensive, high maintenance pure-bred lap size dog. Okay, not really. Well, kind of. Actually, we bought Spike, who is a purebred Silky Terrier.
I decided that I wanted a Terrier, but wasn't decided on a Yorkie or a Silky. I wanted a smaller dog that we could take with us when we traveled and that wouldn't mind snuggling up to me while I write. He had to be old enough to already be house trained and not too hyper. He had to be good with children and have some kind of personality of his own (there are plenty of dogs who are so NOT home, and I wanted a dog that would be a companion and part of our family). Since our family are fairly witty and all have endearing personalities, we needed a dog who would fit in :-)
After a bit of research, we decided to get a Silky and I just happened to know an excellent breeder who specializes exclusively in Silky Terriers. In fact, she has produced more than 40 champion Silky Terriers and has her own champion Silky Terrier line. Sounds impressive and expensive, huh? Actually, after telling Sandy our criteria for a dog, she told us she had the perfect match and he just happened to be available if we wanted him. He didn't cost as much as we expected, and after meeting him, I would say that we got a great deal!
Boudoir Shot - Taken by yours truly :-)Spike is charming and wonderful and good-natured and quirky, and we LOVE him. He sleeps with us and snuggles with me when I write. He seems infinitely interested in everything we do. He's great with the grandkids and despite his 12 pounds of furry cuteness, he sounds like a beast when he's guarding the home. He LOVES empty water bottles and gets a little neurotic about hiding them in the house (he seems pretty certain that the cat, or maybe one of us secretly wants to steal them).
Spike and my husband, Grant. "Thou shalt not covet thy owner's water bottle."
Okay, so now that you've met Spike, you will know who I'm talking about when I blog about him. He does some pretty funny stuff at times, plus he's also a champion and we went to his last dog show, which was fascinating and much like the mockumentary movie, Best in Show, so I will be blogging about that one, too.
