Meet the Ring Dog: our black lab Harley “Black Dog” Eaton. Nate got Harley while I was still in my last year of college. (I think he was lonely at home without me!) She has turned out to be the sweetest, best dog I have ever had. She has so much personality, I’m pretty sure she thinks she’s our child and not our pet. (She’s a little bit right to think so.)
We have many terms of endearment for Harley. Harley Girl. Black Dog. Chunk-a-lunk. Harley Barely. Dog Faced Girl. The Blackness. I could go on an on….
It’s funny the things our pets can teach us. Harley at first meeting likes to pretend that she’s a big scary guard dog. Whenever anyone walks by the house, especially another dog, her hair stands on end and she growls and barks the meanest sounding bark. Which has always confused Nate and I because she couldn’t be farther from that behavior. She’ll growl while your on the street, but once at the front door, her tail is wagging and she’s a tap-dancing with excitement to see you. Besides the “hey, get off my lawn” growls, she will never show any signs of aggression. She barks, for sure, but she won’t growl or be mean. Nate and I are constantly poking and prodding her, and she never gets upset. When Grace comes over she can sit right on her and use her as a step-ladder to climb up on the couch (imagine a two-year old stepping on your head) and she just lays there, no problem. I love that about her.
Really and truly Harley has been such a blessing to us. Being a young couple not ready for kids, it’s nice to have a little something to pour your love out onto. She is so affectionate and snuggly, something anyone whose met her will know, she’s about 80 pounds and sees no reason why she can’t sit on your lap and be pet. She’s spoiled as all hell. Her mama makes her handmaid bandannas and she loves them and to be told how pretty she looks with them on. When it’s time for a bandana change, I’ll take the one she’s wearing off of her and she’ll pout and hang her head, but then go to HER section of the closet and pull out two clean ones. I’ll hold them out and ask which one she wants and she’ll sniff them both then nudge one with her nose. Then the “oh, look how pretty you are!” game will begin all over again and tails will wag. She’s such a freak.
I love having this big, clumsy baby of a dog in my life. I can’t imagine life without her. (When the day she’s taken from us comes – you can expect me to be devastated. Like in bed for a week devastated. I’m just warning you now…) We often joke that Harley is going to have a hard time when Nate and I do decide to have children, she’s been so used to being the only “child”. But seeing how sweet she is to our God daughter Grace, while I will expect some jealousy, I know she’ll be a big teddy bear, and a great family dog.
Matt – good luck walking this nut down the aisle, but thanks for doing it! It means a lot to us to have her there with us on our big day. (Please just try to keep her out of the pond before the ceremony!)
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