"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." -Andrew A. Rooney

I am a proud mom to 2, almost 3, daughters.  I am also a proud dog-mom to our dog Buster.  He is like all of my kids.  He can be messy, dirty, stinky, and naughty.  He also loves this family unconditionally.  The past few months he has made me want to pull my hair out at times.  We leave him in the backyard when we leave the house and he drags wood from the woodpile everywhere.  He noses through my craft stuff and has ruined a few pieces of fabric by his chewing. And just recently he chewed on, and ruined, the extension cord for our outdoor Christmas lights.  Luckily it was not plugged in, although I wonder if that would have taught him a lesson.   He is not even a year old yet so I tell myself that as long as we are consistent with our discipline, like with children, these phases will pass.

With all of that naughty stuff said, he is such a super sweetie.  He loves his kids (Gracey and Emily) and unfailingly loves me and Corky.  He is my side-kick all day long and follows me from room to room.  He doesn't always need attention, he just likes to be where the people are.  He is my co-pilot every morning when I take Gracey to school and the afternoons that I take Emily to preschool.  I swear he knows our daily routine as well as anyone in this house.  Just today I had someone ask me if I take my dog with me everywhere I go.  I said, "Oh yeah, as long as I don't have to get out of the car for more than a minute then he is usually with me." Here he is just today on our drive home from dropping kiddos off.

Last night he was cracking me up.  Corky had just gotten home from a trip to Georgia for work, and I had gotten home from the youth activities at our church.  The girls were in bed, the house was clean, and Corky and I just laid on the living room floor together to catch up and relax.  It didn't take long for Buster to want to join the party.  He kept creeping closer and closer, especially to Corky who is his favorite person ever.  I had my phone with me so I snapped a few photos of his progress.

Here is his please-let-me-snuggle-with-you-guys-I-promise-I-will-be-good pose!

A minute later, his pleading was a little less subtle as he kept nudging Corky with his nose and hands.

Finally, he did make his way to resting his head on Corky's chest with me.  I didn't get a picture of that but you can imagine that it was a little crowded.  

When decided to get up off the floor and head to bed Buster interpreted that as playtime.  This game is one of his favorites.  We tell him to get his tail so he runs in circles until he finally gets it, and then we tell him to bring it to us.  It's a little confusing and he usually looks like he is dizzy trying to walk like that, but he always manages to bring his tail to us.

One of these days I will post a video of his tricks.  He is quite the pro and keeps us, and many others, pretty entertained.