Happy 9th Birthday, Pagan!

You didn't think Hana had the only November birthday in the Massey family, did you? Gosh, I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the very first time I saw her. In 1999 I went to her breeder's house and there she was. She tried to follow me home that day. Her Mom, Art's Miss Prissy, used her paw to keep her out of the street when she tried to follow me to my car. I had went there in search for a male and all that was left was Pagan and one brother. She was from a litter of 12. I thought about her all that night and the very next day I wrote the check for her. Later, shopping in a little store down in Bryan I ran into a guy with a Boxer about her age. Come to find out he was one of her brothers! His name was Nug. She is the best dog in the world. I remember when I lived in my old apartment over by Jenn she had another Boxer friend that also lived there named Lexi. I used to love to watch them run and play! Guthrie's energy doesn't compare to the way Pagan used to be! She used to leap over my couch with no problem at all. She could jump higher than Joe's head at one point. I remember when she broke my nose, when she broke out in hives, when she ran through my parents' sliding glass door. I also remember how scared I was when we had a small tumor removed from her foot, thank goodness it was benign. I remember the first time Joe met her and he was convinced all animals loved him even though I tried to assure him she would not. I was right. She kept him cornered for a while. She was so over-protective of me! He sure won her over though. She's always been like a child to me. She truly prepared me for motherhood (being a mother to a human, that is! LOL). We've been through so much together. I often feel guilty that she's taken the back seat now that Hana's here, but I really don't think she minds. She's older now and much more relaxed and I think she prefers to be left alone rather than messed with all the time. I'm crying as I write this! Silly, huh? Well, those who know me know how much I love this dog! It just saddens me to watch her age, and now her hips and feet are bothering her - I wish she could stay a puppy forever! So on that note I must go and wipe away the tears!