My little man

In January, I brought home Gavin, a three year old beagle that I adopted from a friend. At first, I thought maybe I'd bit off more than I could chew, going back to school and bringing a new dog home, but it has actually worked out great and I am so happy to have him.

I have another dog, Rikki, she's a five year old corgi/border collie mix. She hasn't liked me much since my fiance and I broke up. She is VERY set in her routine and moving, not once but twice, really threw her for a loop and upset her greatly. It has really hurt me that she doesn't want anything to do with me, but I've tried everything and she has decided that she'd rather be with anyone, but me. Bringing Gavin home has changed her attitude about me a little bit, now that she has competition for my affections.

Having Gavin has been so nice, he's such a sweet boy and he's so attached to me. I love it. He sleeps next to me every night. If I've had a bad day or am upset about something, it's like he knows and he'll sleep curled up right in my chest as close as he can get.

My friend who gave me Gavin was sure that he'd destroy my house, but aside from a few busted blinds and a screen, he hasn't done anything really destructive. I think the reason he got in to so much shenanigans at his last home, was that there just wasn't enough to entertain him. At my house, he has 2 doggy friends to play with, a cat to chase and a huge backyard to run around in. OH and he has a girlfriend. I have this stuffed dinosaur that he is in LOVE with. He will whine at me until I take her off the headboard for him to "play" with. It is the cutest thing I've ever seen. I keep trying to take video of it, but he just won't cooperate!

Rikki is a major whiner and hates going anywhere in the car. A couple weeks ago, I decided to see how Gavin would do on a little road trip. I took him down to Hawthorne and had breakfast at the Waffle Window. Gavin was a great sport and loved meeting new people. We wandered all over and he seemed to really love it. I had to leave him in the car for a few minutes and unlike Rikki, he was calm, didn't bark and didn't tear up my car.

This last weekend, I had a house full of friends, they all loved him, but he was so worn out, by Sunday night, he just passed out and couldn't be moved for anything!

No, he's not the smartest dog on the planet, as my friend likes to say he's "All shell, no peanut." and he can be really annoying when he fixates on something and won't stop barking, but to say I love my little man, would be an understatement. I love the way he greets me at the door when I get home, the way he prances when he runs, the way he watches TV and when a dog comes on he growls and barks at it. He has been such a wonderful addition to my life, I can't imagine not having him!