It was only a few hours ago when I realized that my precious Labrador Retriever, Midnight, was turning two today! Hmmm how does one celebrate a dogs birthday?
Midnight was a sick little puppy when we got her (Nov, 23, 2007). Oh she looked healthy enough to brand new dog owner eyes, but by the next day we knew we’d purchased a sick puppy! She had diarrhea, a gastrointestinal infection, eye infections and even ear infections. I think during that first month of having her we weren’t all that sure she’d make it this far!
Of course, as new puppy owners -experiencing the highs and lows of puppyhood (boundless energy, nipping, accidents, shedding! and of course her illness) we weren’t sure we’d make it this far either! It can be exhausting taking care of a puppy, let me tell ‘ya!
Our little sweetie is healthy now and has been pretty much since her last birthday (but the first 9 months with us she needed lots of extra care!) and she’s been a fantastic addition to our home.
I’d really miss her if she weren’t here. We got her as a companion for me since I’m stuck at home sick with Crohn’s and she’s become my best little friend. She keeps me up when I start to feel down and she makes me laugh several times each day. Hey, they say laughter’s the best medicine, don’t they … so it’s great that my dog makes me laugh and smile.
It’s hard to believe she was ever this tiny!
I think she only weighed about 8 lb when we got her and now she’s around 70 lb! Big change!
You can see how much bigger she is now that she’s fully grown if you look at her beside the 8 inch high stones in our raised bed garden above, and in the picture below.
Midnight is a happy go lucky dog. She thinks she’s a watch dog – growling or barking through the screen door or window at people walking by our house, but really, she’s one of the friendliest dogs you could ever hope to meet. Barks and growls end as soon as she reaches a new person or dog and happy noises, frantic tail wagging and back end wiggling ensue. People who know her say they love how she “dances” when greeting them.
Our dog has lots of quirky habits – including a lust for chewing on cardboard boxes (we give her empty pop cartons to satisfy her urge), rolling on her back and yipping with joy (we call this having “fun fun”), backing up to us for a bum/ thigh scratch rub (constantly!), doing somersaults on the couch when she wants a rub, and a foot fetish (lick, lick, lick!).
Destroying a cracker box – on her bed of course!
She also has a never ending desire to play “dog Hockey” which consists of her dropping one of her favorite flat Nylabones at our feet so that we can shoot it across the hard wood floors for her to try to catch. If we get the bone past her it’s a goal for us. LOL She makes a good goalie though so we don’t get that many pucks er … bones past her.
Like most Labs Midnight is true water dog. The first time we took her to the beach and set her loose (right here in Toronto, Cherry Beach) she went right into the water and didn’t want to come out. We had other dog owners admiring her swimming skills asking us how long she’d been swimming – we’d look at our watches and say “oh, about 15 minutes. It’s her first time in!”.
Dripping dry on the sandy beach:
Here she is on a recent swim in Lake Ontario with a new doggy pal:
She also loves taking a dip or splash at the pond in another dog walking area we take her to regularly … of course she’ll pretty much roll around in any water she finds … but oddly enough if it’s just rained or if I’ve watered the lawn she doesn’t like to walk on the wet grass and get her feet wet, but give her two inches or more of water and it’s a whole new story! Strange dog!
After the day is done and all the playing is over Midnight likes to become a lap dog … or in the case of the picture below a chest dog! Here she is cuddling on my husband!
Of course she has also taken over the lazy boy chair in our living room. Curling up in the center of it with her head and usually one paw thrown over the side … here’s a typical sleepy pose:
One of my favorite things about Midnight is the Wookie noises she makes – Whoogh woogh woo gahh … strange noises, but that’s the way she talks to us. LOL She also makes a kind of soft clucking noise when she’s looking at people, dogs or anything out side.
I’ve added lots of pictures to this post … perhaps too many! However, if you’re a dog lover and you’d like to see more pictures of our Midnight from 3 months old to two years please visit her Flickr page. She’s also got her own category on this blog “Our Puppy” if you want to read some of the stories about her and see more pictures in context.
So … I guess we now need to figure out how we’re going to celebrate her birthday. Maybe a special treat at dinner? Yeah, I think that’s a good way to celebrate.
Happy Birthday! What is her name? she is really cute and looks like she had a good healthy life. By the way, thanks for sharing your pet with us…
Hello!! Do you think your life would be different without your dog?
Your post put back memories of my child hood when I got a puppy myself. His name was Tiger and we really had good memories together…he died at the age of…I think 9 or something.
I remember you first having Midnight. You have looked after her so well, nursing her through those tough first months.
Happy Birthday Midnight!
Labradors are very beautiful dogs; I have always wanted a golden Labrador, but I didn’t imagine that a black one is so nice. Happy Birthday!
LUV the puppy picture … Cute !!!
Nice pictures. You puppy is so sweet. Nice blog. keep it up the good work.
I also have Lab, it’s birthday is on 3 Sept, and as a present we’ll take him to the sea)
Wow really so cute puppy when she was a little one…time is so fast that once she was a little puppy but now she’s already 2 years old and kinda big girl already..hhehe…i guess a big hug for her bday and wish for long life of your dog..
What a beautiful girl Midnight is! My brother has always had dogs. He gets these hollow bones that he fills with peanut butter and his pooches always go crazy! However you decide to celebrate – Happy 2nd Midnight; and a great many more 🙂
Happy Birthday, Midnight!
We’re still worried about my older daughter, London’s dog allergies, so she and Maddie think of dogs like Midnight as their virtual pets… keep the photos and stories coming!
Roxy
Very nice dog. Animals are such great companions.
Awww… just looking at your photos, it seems that you have a very good dog. and Midnight is just as lucky to have you.
I had a black lab and he was easily the easiest dog I have ever had to train.
What a fantastic post, it’s great to see your black Labrador’s great life! And by the way, you can never put too many pictures in a post, when you have such a beauty!
She is really cute and looks like she had a good healthy life. Your post put back memories of my childhood when I got a puppy. His name was Taffy and we really had good memories together. But he died at the early age of 6. You have shared nice pictures of your puppy with us. Keep on posting such a nice articles…
Wow, it is amazing the size difference that 1-2 years will make. Good looking dog, I have a chihuahua and he is quite the busy little guy – but I think he has mental issues about being too small…
Thats a cute dog! And Midnight is a pretty cool name for a dog… Translated to German: Mitternacht… Sounds good!
My dog is 15 this year.:)
And she is black too like Midnight.
It’s great to have a dog.
Midnight is so cute.
🙂
Dogs will remain forever in your heart.
Very cute lab! Does she have a favorite kind of dog bone by chance?
You can never have too many pictures! I love the photos, especially the baby picture and the face closeup of the nap on the couch. I also have a black lab. She does have mix of something else in her, but she looks like a black lab only a little smaller with a slightly brindel coat. I always tell people when they see her baby pictures, that she grew a big body out of that little head.
She was so tiny when we brought her home, that she could run around under our couch, which only has about a 3″ clearance! When I got her (her name is Bee) I didn’t want another dog because I was going through a deep depression, but when I walked into our local pet shop one day, she made a play for me. I found myself back at the store before closing later that day and coming home with our new addition to the family (3 cats). Bee was so full of life and always so happy, that I still say today, that she saved my life and brought me out of my depression. She is now 4 years old and we have added a playmate for her, a Pitbull mix named Brittney. The two of them get along so well you would think they were from the same litter. They are both completely different personalities but are equally endeared to my heart!