Happy “Gotcha Day” to my little fur baby, Dobby!! Since we don’t know when his actual birthday is, today is also his unofficial birthday. So happy 5th (ish) birthday to him, too! He’s going to get lots of snuggles today. 🙂 Hard to believe it’s already been two years since I took him home with me. Time flies when you’re having fun!

He has come such a long way since I first brought him home. He was a little bit of a pain in the butt when I first got him – he’s STILL a pain in the butt if you ask Dan! – but he was anxious and not used to being in a new home yet. Plus, he had been dropped off at the pound two times before I brought him home, so he might have thought it was going to be a temporary stay. But whether he likes it or not, he’s stuck with me!

I think he truly does love being with me as much as I love having him though. He’s so happy to see me when I pick him up every day, and he gives me the saddest looking puppy dog eyes whenever I leave him. He’s always slept in my bed with me, but he used to hate being touched and would move off the bed if I rolled over and bumped him in any way. But now, he snuggles right into me every night, and we even spoon each other haha! He’s the best little snuggler.

He’s also a lot better at going for walks. If you remember in posts I wrote when I first brought him home, it was a frickin chore trying to go for a nice walk with him. But, we’ve officially ruled out using the leash and just use the shock collar instead. It didn’t take him long to learn where he could and couldn’t go, and he listens so well. Going for walks with him now is great: he can explore and dart around all he wants, and I don’t risk losing an arm trying to keep up with him.

AND even better: he’s a getting a little bit better around men and people he doesn’t know. He’s still a little timid, but not nearly as bad as he used to be. I brought him to intramural softball with me a few times, and he loved all the attention he would get. I told people they could pet him, but to let him sniff them first. After that, he was in little puppy heaven. He would never hurt a fly, but he’d try to hide if someone didn’t let him inspect them first.

To celebrate his “gotcha day” here’s a few pics over the last few years!

I have a million more photos of my fur baby, but I’ll stop there! He’s the best boy a girl can have, and I count my blessings every day we found each other. If you’re looking for your own fur baby, I strongly encourage you to adopt! No animal deserves to live it’s life in a shelter. They deserved to be loved and given a safe home to live in. Since it’s a long weekend, it would be the perfect time to check out your local shelter! 😉

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger