Happy birthday to Teri

Teri is sort of my dog. But really she's my Mom's dog. But I was there when we first met her and when we first decided to get her (after a year or two of begging my father to get another dog). She was just this little tiny tyke when we first met her. All of about 3 pounds.

Teri at 5 weeks

She wasn't much bigger when we brought her home, maybe 5 pounds or so. Just this little ball of fluff.

Teri on her first day in our yard

She's been through a lot over the years, two ACL repair surgeries, a nasty abscess that required surgery, allergic reactions to everything (including vaccinations, bees, flea/tick meds, and food). But she's been my Mom's (and my Dad's before he passed away) faithful companion for many years.

Keeping my Dad company

Visiting my Grandmother at the nursing home the year before she died

On April 28, Teri turned 16! Yhe's almost completely deaf at this point and definitely senile. She wanders the house a lot and she fell down the stairs recently. After that, she has a bit of a limp. The vet thinks she likely hurt her ACL again, but at her age surgery is definitely not recommended. And it only seems to affect her if she does too much.

But you wouldn't really know she's reached such a grand age if you met her. She still likes to play fetch and tug in the house with her little ball. And she still loves to run around in the grass. So happy birthday Teri! Here's to many more!

Teri enjoying a run in the yard on her 16th birthday

Wordless Wednesday: Teri

Happy birthday Teri!

9 years ago my parent's dog Teri was born. Teri's still one of my babies, even though she's really my parent's dog. I helped pick her out. I was there when we first brought her home. I helped train her that first summer they had her before I headed back out to Indiana to school.

Teri, unlike my Dahlia, was bought. I know. Horror of all horrors! I'm sure if my parents could go back they wouldn't do the same thing again. She came from a backyard breeder who bred mutts. Teri was supposedly a Whoodle (a Wheaten terrier/poodle mix) and while I suppose that's possible, she doesn't really resemble one. She's only 20 pounds (both of the parents, who we met, were much bigger than that) and I wonder if the parents we met really were her parents. The BYB was not the worst one out there though. She socialized the pups very well and Teri is a good dog, even if she is a spoiled brat (fault for this lies squarely in my parent's lap!).

So happy birthday Teri! Many dog biscuits to you!