“Our family’s six-year-old Labrador, Diesel, appears to have consumed a magic pill as a puppy to expand into his over-sized height and 110-pound weight,” laughs Terri. “We joke that his puppy chow must have been named, ‘Miracle Grow’.
His massive body and tail are weapons of household destruction. He is table height and can clear any table with one wiggle or swish of a tail. Our daughter’s, Abby and Ava, love playing with their furry brother who is a combination of joy and rambunctious that makes us smile every day.”
Labs love water, but Diesel steps it up a notch; he is passionate about fishing with his Daddy, Jereme. As soon as the dog sees a fishing pole he can’t contain his joy. It is a win/win for Diesel because car rides and hiking are his other favorite things. When asked, “What do you want to do?" his bark response sounds like, "Go!”.
When he cat-ches his family snacking he lets them know that he wants to “share” by sitting directly in front of them, all the while his front paws do a little jig dance. He is not done with his paws-way-tion until he gives them his best flirty smile. Diesel is not the family’s only pet but the craziest, causing them to laugh hysterically as he does “zoomies” around the house for no reason.
“He’s a big lovable, wiggly, goofball who thinks he belongs wherever we are,” said Terri. “He squeezes himself on our bed along with our two cats. As mellow as he is, he is also protective. When my husband is out of town, Diesel sleeps with his head on Dad’s pillow paws-itioning himself so he can see into our daughters’ room.
As much as Diesel loves car rides, he is forbidden to go with his older brother dog, Reilly, to the vet clinic. “Diesel is too protective. He won’t let the veterinarian examine his elderly brother. He winds himself around Reilly so the vet can’t get close,” said Terri. “Our two dogs and two cats have taught our children compassion and about the unconditional love that only comes from pets.
Three years ago, we lost our 11-year-old dog, Maggie. Her passing taught the girls about death and the important place that dogs hold in a family. We all mourned, even Diesel.
When we lived in Georgia, both Diesel and Reilly were bitten by copperhead snakes! Reilly was bitten in the back leg, Diesel in the face, which tells you a lot about their personalities! Right after it happened, I thought Diesel had a tennis ball in his mouth. Then I saw that he was swollen. He is such a big-love bug, that I bet his feelings were hurt that something would bite him. We rushed him to the vet and he did great.”
In the spirit of optimism, Terri had to rename her dog and cats’ massive shedding to “magical fibers of joy and love”.
“Our four fur babies have taught us unconditional love, acceptance, to hold our heads high, be confident, and ask for what we need,” said Terri. “Their ‘presents’ gift our family with comfort, laughter and pure joy. We wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. Also, our UPS driver finally admitted, "Your dog smiles at me!".
