Before my husband and I were married. I had adopted this sweet Pitbull, Blake. I first saw his picture on the Adopt A Pet website. He looked so sweet and tiny with this big floppy tongue hanging out. I knew he would likely grow into at least a medium sized dog, and since I loved really large dogs - I was fine with that. He looked silly and sweet and was already potty trained. I was thrilled to meet him! His family and I picked a public place near where they lived and off I went to meet Blake. The second I saw him hop out of the car I knew immediately that they were rehoming him due to his size. He was 9 months old and 60 lbs. of pure muscle. They caught sight of my reaction and braced themselves for a resounding NO, but the surprise was just that and I was thrilled! He pranced, yes pranced right up to me and gave me the sweetest puppy licks.
I knew he was meant to be mine from the start! We then went to their house to grab his things. They were a sweet family, but they did not have the space or time to devote to Blake. I will forever be grateful for that because I am not sure I would have survived the next couple years without him. He knew immediately that I belonged to him and would not take his eyes off me. Refusing to even leave my side for a second. He hopped right into my car with the biggest of smiles and we were off to start our life together.
After settling in at his new home with a big back yard and all the soft surfaces he could dream of to snuggle on. We began working on training as he was going to be a big dog and I wanted to make sure that he had good behaviors around animals, children, and adults. His personality was so sweet, while he had bursts of playfulness his favorite thing to do was snuggle. He loved being around people and really seemed to sense when someone needed him to be extra careful or needed some extra emotional support. For as big as he was becoming he was so sensitive and gentle.
Our second year together life changed in a huge way for us. Covid hit full swing and we moved in with my father and step mother for several months. We both needed a clean slate and to reinvent our lives, so Dax and I embarked on just that. He was my sole companion during that time and my reason to get up in the morning and keep to a proper schedule. I wanted him to not just be taken care of, but to ensure he was getting everything he really needed to have a happy life.
During this time I began spending time with a friend (my now husband). The first time I brought Dax with me to his home he walked in, jumped right up on the couch and snuggled right in. It felt like he was letting us know, yep this is now mine and I have claimed you both now, so get on board. We still chuckle to this day over that. The intuitiveness of this creature always astounds us.
As my husband and I had been friends for almost 2 decades before dating we were engaged very quickly and living together within months. We were a bit uncertain on how Dax would take to living in a condo versus a house with a yard, but he had no issues transitioning. I was also a little concerned on how he would feel not having my full attention all the time, as it had just been him and me and I worked from home. However, there was nothing to fear as Dax was enamored with my husband. They became and still are inseparable. You would NEVER know that he was only mine for a time. They snuggle together, play video games together, take walks, play, and have snacks together. I was actually the one feeling a bit left out!
The next hurdle came with the family on a larger scale. My husband comes from an Italian family, a very large Italian family. We were not sure how Dax would take to such large crowds and loud volumes. If you have ever had the beautiful experience of holidays or Sunday dinners with a large boisterous family it gets loud! Again, we had NOTHING to worry about. He fit right in, and loved every minute of it. He mingles through the family, and then once he knows all his humans are in one place goes and naps even through all the noise. And of course as he is so sweet and handsome everyone loves him! He is so loved he gets his own plate of Sunday dinner, his own homemade flat meatball, gravy, pasta - and at the end of the meal Poppop feeds him garlic bread dipped in gravy.
There is always a battle on who is Dax’s favorite - whether it’s Poppop, Sissy (my sister-in-law), Uncle J, or one of their boys. Although we all know it’s likely a toss up between Poppop and Sissy. Dax follows Poppop around and worries over him constantly, always trying to herd him to his seat in the living room and taking naps next to him in the afternoon. Sissy dotes over him, making him all kinds of homemade treats and makes sure he is always full and happy.
We could say that Dax fits right in, but the truth is he claimed each and everyone of us! <3
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This is so lovely!!!