Meet Boo...

This is my oh-so-wonderful, somewhat retarded dog. I love her to death, but marvel at all the things that could possibly be wrong with one little pup (if you really look at this pic to the left, you might be able to figure out some of the aesthetic issues which are mentioned later).

My first dog, Tank, was beautifully perfect--her coat was amazing in color, soft and shinny, and she even had a trendy mo-hawk on the back of her neck (just born that way)! Her ears were the perfect size and softness, and her eyes glowed brightly in contrast with her chocolate coat.

But unfortunately, she was dark enough to blend into the road at night. After wandering out one night after our whole family had left....... well you can guess what happened next. I was devastated when I got the call from the driver. Until then, I'd never quite known the feeling of being so overwhelmed with emotion that you'd be literally speechless. I couldn't get a single word out of my mouth--only the sounds of catching my breath in between sobs. I wanted to rush home immediately but was stuck in Park City for an overnight singles-ward event. As my night was completely ruined, I finally asked if my friend would take me home. I just couldn't stay, even though there was nothing I could do about the outcome of the accident.

I was happy to see hours later when I finally arrived home that little Tank's body was in perfect condition--though as stiff as could be--you could not tell that she died from a car accident. We buried her in the back yard with her favorite toy, I painted a small head stone, and placed it above her doggy grave. For weeks I debated on whether to get another dog--Tank just couldn't be replaced that easily. THEN--I found Boo.

Aka BooRad, Bear, Boobie, Boozer, Booey... whatever you can come up with a BOO in front of it. She is imperfect in every way--her coat is a mix of black hair and brown, half covered in short hair, and half covered in long, she has 5 toes on her back paws (there should only be 4), an extreme overbite, her ears are balding, and to top it off--she has allergies. But all these little imperfections make her just perfect for me because it makes her nothing like Tank! The moment we met her (I brought my mom, and little bro Josh, as they were also devastated about Tank) it was a done deal. Because unlike Tank who was very stand-off-ish and scared to let me hold her, this new little pup ran to us and licked us all to death! How could we resist? She has the best temperament and is so sweet to children--and just LOVES people, which is very unusual for a dachshund.

So here I sit, one year later, writing an ode my dog. As "imperfect" as she is, I love her to death and think she is abSOLUTEly perfect!