HAPPY NINTH

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

MARCH 17TH WAS NED AND CLANCY'S NINTH BIRTHDAY. This is my favorite photo of my Irish Brothers.

We got Ned after I fell in love with doodles when we were camping.  There was a breeder near our campground; we visited and Ned charmed us with his antics with a water bucket.  It was my husband's turn to choose a dog and the name.  My husband chose the name Ned which I thought was in honor of my maiden name initials.  I so was thrilled and honored.  (About 5 years later I found out that he chose the name because of a student he taught! Oh well, Ned is still a great name!)  Ned was an easy puppy.  Agreeable, easy to train, sociable.  We didn't know that non-shedding and hypoallergenic were marketing hype terms. We didn't know that size and coat was a crap-shoot. Luckily, we ended up with exactly what Ned was predicted to be. We also ended up with the most difficult of coats to maintain (and were unprepared). Luckily, we already had a great groomer for our other dogs. She eased us through the worst of the matting and continues to help us keep his coat up.  Ned is our prince and we treasure that he is ours.

Ned on his gotcha day:

On Ned's first birthday we held a family dog party attended by his two 'brothers' and 5 cousins.

On Ned's second birthday, we again had a family dog party. Over the year Ned lost his Doberman Cousin, Boxster and gained a new Whippet Cousin, Pippi.

That same month, Ned and I also celebrated  by participating in the Mary Roberts Pet Adoption Center fundraiser.  At the fundraiser, dog walkers walked around with some of the dogs up for adoption.  Ned and I met a very cute doodle.  I thought he deserved a special home, so I got on the internet, posted about him on doodlekisses, and e-mailed everyone I thought might make a good doodle owner.  I kept calling Mary Roberts checking on him.  NO ONE came to adopt him so we adopted the doodle they called Buck.  Here he was on his gotcha day.  I asked the Pet Adoption Center what his birth date was and was told March 17, 2008.  Ned's exact birth date!!!!  Coincidence?  I think not.  I think it was a sign that Buck and Ned were meant to be brothers.

Buck did not answer to his name so we felt that it would be okay to rename him.  We posted a discussion here on doodlekisses asking for name suggestions.  One that I really loved was Hula. Buck had Hula as a name for about a day, but we realized this boy just wasn't a Hula.  We had some other great suggestions, but Clancy really seemed to be the name that fit this Irish boy so he got a new haircut and a new name.

Clancy and our English Springer Spaniel, Gordie, got off to a rocky start.  They were competing for the bottom two rungs on the totem pole.  Clancy was a great dog from the start but he was emotionally needy.  Adopting an adult dog was like getting a box of chocolates; you don't know what's inside and we discovered new aspects about Clancy throughout that first year.  We found out that he liked to fetch in a very polite way.  We found out that someone taught him to go after a frisbee.  He never mastered catching it, but he could flip it up off the ground and bring it back - unless it needed a good gnawing on first!  We learned that Clancy enjoyed water - especially if he got to fetch a ball.  We learned that Clancy hogged toys by laying on top of them.  Clancy and Gordie became lifelong friends. We learned that Clancy liked small dogs and was very gentle with them.  

The next March birthday came around and we walked in the Mary Roberts fundraiser for the boys third birthday and every birthday since.

Age 3 during the walk:Age 4 at the walk:Age 5 at the fundraiser:Age 6 still walking:The brothers at 7 with Junior  (Doodle Rescue Collective alumni 2014) who shares a gotcha day with Clancy:At the walk  last year for their 8th birthday:The boys at the recent Southern California Romp:

On Saturday, Ned and Clancy will again be walking to respect Mary Roberts volunteers who rescued Clancy from a local kill shelter where he had been labeled dog aggressive.  They took a chance that he was not aggressive but scared, lonely, devastated that he had been abandoned in a back yard when his family moved away.  We are so grateful that they did.  Ned and Clancy, our Irish brothers,  enjoy being goodwill ambassadors for DOG RESCUE.                           

Charlie (Doodle Rescue Collective 2016 alumni) will join Ned, Clancy, and his March-Gotcha cousin, Junior, in Mary Roberts Pet Adoption Center's 25th Walk With the Animals in celebration of  his Irish brothers ninth birthday.

Happy Birthday to my boys.

My boys whispered in my ear that they have everything they want in life, so in lieu of gifts, I could donate to dog rescue to help those less fortunate than they are.

[Stacy]

Happy Brithday sweet boys! You have such a wonderful family.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thanks. Stacy.  These boys have certainly formed a pack.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Loved this story! Clearly, this is a "meant to be!".

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

We really feel Clancy just fell into our hands and that he was perfect for us - truly meant for us.

[Adina P]

Happy Birthday doods!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thank you, Adina.

[Barbara, Zoey and Zeke]

Great post!  Thanks for sharing.  They look very happy.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thank you, Barbara.  They are happy boys!

[Debbie and Toby]

Happy Birthday, Ned and Clancy! Wonderful story and sure does sound like it was all meant to be!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thanks, Debbie.  It was.

[Carolyn Shusterman]

Nancy, Skip, Ned and Clancy, I don't know which one of you is the luckiest. All of you are such a joy to be around.  Such a nice well adjusted happy family.

Happy 9th birthday boys!  

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thanks, Carolyn.  At Sunday's brunch Skip told everyone they were 8 but when we went home and did the math, we found that I was correct. It was their ninth birthday.