Same but different

It's no secret we love our critters.  From our dogs to ducks, chickens to deer they bring us joy.  We love watching the wild animals that visit our little slice of earth.  Yes, they're more work, but we think they're worth it.

While watching tv the other night I was thinking about how different Molly and Chloe are.  Both are English Shepherd mix dogs.  Molly is 4 and Chloe is 1.  They are both great dogs but, like people, each one is very different from the next (and both are different from our first ES mix - Misha). 

Molly is a very independent girl.  She tends to want to be nearby, but not touching.  She's content to explore the yard, or sit on the deck and watch the world go by.  She LOVES to play with the ball, but she's able to entertain herself.  She's extremely intelligent.  I swear sometimes she's reading my mind.  She took to obedience training right away and although she can be a bit timid at times, she is very attentive to what we want her to do and trusts us.  She's sensitive to when I'm sick or upset.   She will come cuddle with us for small bits at a time, usually in the morning or later in the evening, but she's happier at the foot of the bed (both dogs sleep on the floor in their beds at night). She is deliberate with her actions.  She'll place a paw on your leg or arm to get your attention, or sometimes just to touch.  It's very purposeful.   In this photo we were watching tv and she came up next to me and placed one paw carefully on my arm next to our hands.  She stayed that way for a little bit and then got off the bed again.  

Chloe on the other hand is a bundle of need.  She soaks up attention and love like a sponge.  She always wants to be touching.  As I write this she's on the floor under my feet with her body crammed under my left foot.   She's just starting to mature from being a puppy, and we know she had a very difficult start to life, which made her more needy.  If we're on the couch or in bed she isn't just near us, she has no concept of that.  She wants to be ON us.  She will often lay on Mark's head, wrapped around between his head and the wall.  She will wiggle to position and drape herself over you, trying to absorb every bit of connection.  She is very bonded and because of that she's very good at coming when we call her.  She is a big goof and loves to play in the yard, and the pond.  We've never had a dog that loved water the way that she does.   In the summer she'll go into the pond, swim a little and get out again just to dry off and do it all again.  She swims for the pleasure of it.  She blows water bubbles in the pond.  She splashes like a kid in a mud puddle.  She grooms her sisters (and us if we let her).  She is sweet as can be.

The two photos posted spoke volumes about each dog and their personalities.  It makes me crazy when people make generalizations about a breed and expect each dog to be the same.  Because we adopt rescue dogs, they've had tough starts before they came to us, but they do share DNA traits.  However, these two girls are very different from each other; just like I'm different from my siblings.  They have different needs, preferences and quirks.  

One day they will be old dogs.  We've said goodbye to Misha, and Tucker and Nash, and Willow.  It's so hard to say goodbye.  I miss each and every one of them.  They were all so very different.   I can't imagine my life without having any of them in it though.  They're worth all the work, money, effort and such for the joy of having them around, and the relationships we form with each one.  And, there's nothing like giving something a second chance.