Sailor

I realized that I had written about what has probably been the biggest change in my life this semester - I'm a dog mom! I bought the sweet little beagle when I was at Emerald Isle for vacation in July and my family brought her home while I was at the zoo on July 23rd. The tiny little 8-week old puppy has now grown into a 7-month old bundle of energy. As this post is going live, she'll be at the vet being spayed ):

I picked her out because she was so calm and reserved, one of the quietest in the litter, and because of her coloring (I really wanted a traditional tri-color). She maintained that attitude for, oh, I don't know, maybe 3 days of having her home? All of the sudden the spunk came out and she is absolutely wide open! She has a devilish streak that you can't even get mad at her for and she knows exactly when to hide under the table or my bed so you can't catch her. To say she's intuitive would be an understatement.

I knew I wanted to get a dog my senior year. Why, I don't really know. Did I completely know what I was getting myself into, time-wise and financially? No, absolutely not. I remember talking to Harrison about wanting to get a puppy and he was basically the only one who ever encouraged me to get her. Do I regret getting her? No, absolutely not. I wouldn't trade the puppy snuggles for anything!

For as wild as she can be, she's actually a pretty good apartment dog. She's the perfect size to keep in an apartment, which was part of the reason I wanted a beagle. She is rather laid back when she's inside. She tends to find a toy or a bone to chew on and then falls asleep when I'm working on homework or can't pay her full attention. She loves car rides and going to the dog park. Speaking of the dog park, it's an absolute life-saver. I'll take her out there for 45 minutes to an hour and she runs non-stop! She's nice and worn out when I get her home. A bath (not her favorite thing) is always necessary when we get back, though. She's also not too vocal. Beagles have a reputation for using their voice, which she does - only when she's hiding under my bed, evading capture, or when it's 11PM during exam week.

She uses her paws as hands. No joke. I don't know how to explain it completely, but she's strangely human-like. She also likes to stand on her back legs and wrap her front legs/paws around your arm (occasionally your leg) when she wants something, especially if you have food. It really reminds my mom of a kangaroo, how they utilize their arms and such, so that's how she got her nickname: Roo.

Some of her other quirks: she sticks her head inside the shower curtain when I'm in the shower, hates beer, always looks away when a camera is pointed at her, typically sleeps completely under the covers, hates statues (especially of other animals), likes my guy friends more than me, bosses around my roommate's 80-lb. chocolate lab, thinks the best toy ever is a sock, grabs the end of your leggings when you put them on, and loves carrots.

She's spoiled rotten, can play fetch better than any other beagle I know, takes up the whole bed, sometimes steals my lunch off my desk, has destroyed half the things I own, and I absolutely adore her.