So…I’m going to put up a funny picture. It probably won’t make the stress or hurt or anxiety go away, but if you’re feeling down? Maybe it will make you smile.

When Sunflower wants attention? She just takes it. Whether you’re awake or not.

Now. Enough with the tears! Let’s move on to things that make us smile like 3-year olds with first-time bangs and first-time painted fingernails!

The bangs were not very even thanks to a certain girl’s inability to site still and uncanny ability to wiggle as the scissors closed. I fixed it a bit, but still not perfect. Either way – DAMN CUTE. And I painted her nails for the first time as well. It’s like in the span of one day she went from 3 to 13 and I’m now watching her pin up pictures of teen heartthrobs to her wall while wailing about the tragedy of me not allowing her to go roller skating with her friends.

Maybe my imaginary teenage girl scenario needs a little updating?

Anyway. That’s our Big News of the week. We now have bangs. After months of failed pullback attempts with the hair (she has some sort of compulsion to remove everything in her hair after a few hours at school) and annoyance on our part and her teacher’s – we decided to give her bangs. And while I may regret it someday when we try to grow them out, we’re already seeing the advantages. The nervous-tick like habit of pushing the hair out of her eyes? Gone. Hairclips being lost at school? Not anymore. Clumps of oatmeal in the hear that ends up in her mouth while she eats? That’s the thing I was the happiest to see go. Oatmeal does not come out of hair easily.

At 3 she finally received her first real haircut. And at $10? It will be a long time before she gets another. Because – seriously? $10 to cut that little hair? Either I’m a cheap (which is a distinct possibility since I hate paying $15 for my trims) or that seems pricey for a child’s cut. I swear we only paid $5 for them growing up. Of course, that was back in the old days with the VCRs and the Cassette players. I’m hoping first thing on Obama’s agenda is to introduce tax incentives to hair salons with discounted prices. That’s way more important than the climate, the wars, or the economy. Don’t you think?

“Is he scared?”

That has always been the question asked by people who first meet Cisco. We always say the same thing, “No. He just has a nervous condition.”

From an early age Cisco started getting the shakes. It is one of the things that always made people fall in love with him because you couldn’t help but want to snuggle with him to make him feel safe, even after you were told he wasn’t scared. He is also the only dog we have that doesn’t insist upon jumping on everyone that walks in our house. He just patiently waits for you to make your way in, and then he waits for you to come to him. Because he knows you will. Everyone does.

This is why he’s always their favorite. It doesn’t matter who “they” are.

We don’t have favorites, of course. We love all of our dogs equally.

But if we had a favorite? It would be Cisco.

Donnie and Cisco have been together longer. Almost 10 years now. Because Donnie brought Cisco home, someone brought Lil’Girl to him months later as a stray. And they would have a litter of puppies together that would give the extended family Daisy and Rosco who would go to live with MrZ’s parents. Essentially, when Donnie brought home Cisco? He paved the way for three other dogs to enter our family. He is the patriarch of the Bostons in our lives. Hell – he’s the patriarch of our cats too.

Cisco doesn’t like it when people hug. I’m not sure why. He doesn’t like dancing either. Or when we do workout videos. I’m the most thankful for that last one. Always gave me a good excuse to opt out.

Cisco’s tongue is larger than normal and his teeth are too small. This means his tongue is always hanging out of his mouth just a little bit. Cutest. Thing. Ever. Trust me.

Cisco loves to hang out at my feet at the desk. He also like to cuddle under blankets and tables. I think he chooses the shelter to protect him from the crazy female canines he’s forced to live with. They don’t do much to help a guy relax, that’s for sure.

We’re taking Cisco in today. I can’t even say what we’re taking him in to do. But we’re doing it. And we’re going to stay there with him until he’s gone. We owe him that. This last weekend has been perfect. Well, as perfect as it could be with a dog whose body is shutting down under the weight of cancer. But he’s been in good spirits and allowed us to pamper him and snuggle with him and spoil him. I’m glad we had this weekend. Monday, he took a turn for the worse which is fate’s way of letting us know we’re making the right decision.

We’re going to miss him terribly. I cry as I write this. I don’t want to think of not seeing him when I wake up every morning. I don’t want to think of times on the couch without him at the crook of my legs. I don’t want to think about him not being here to bark at visitors and dancers alike.

I’ve always been the most intrigued by Eastern religions when it comes to the afterlife. I’m not a subscriber to the pearly gates of heaven, but I seem to be able to most wrap my mind around someone’s soul or consciousness, moving to a higher state of existence if they’ve reached their potential in a previous life. I really like that idea with Cisco. I want to imagine him continuing his journey elsewhere. I can’t imagine him gone for good. I don’t want to.

I guess if you’ve never lost a pet, or never been close to an animal, this may seem a little extreme to you. But for those of you who have dogs at home who run to the door to greet you when they hear your keys, or who lick your face and chew your shoes. Will you give them an extra big treat tonight? In memory of Cisco? Thanks.

Cisco with a much younger NikkiZ

Cisco is not sick in this picture, LilGirl was just always such a good wife cleaning his ears when he needed it. I do not follow her example with MrZ.

Cisco is the best dog in the world to snuggle with

Four years ago. We both look so young.

Speaking of looking young…

The huge tongue is a Cisco trademark.

Even riddled with cancer, the tongue is still prominent. Nothing will stop the tongue. Cisco is the dog LilZ’s known the longest and the first pet he’s had to lose. His heart breaks too.

I don’t think NikkiZ will remember Cisco, but I know for sure AndyZ won’t. This makes me saddest of all.

She gave him extra love this weekend too. Even though she pretty much can’t stand any animal that even so much as looks at her.

Another one from four years ago. And probably the image that will linger with me whenever I think of Cisco because this was the trick we used the most when showing him off.

Daddy will miss him the most. He will always be his first child. The two of them only had each other for quite some time, until Lil’Girl and some girl named Zoot entered their lives.

We love you, Cisco.

So, we’ll spend the weekend with him. And Monday, I guess, depending on how he’s doing, we’ll take him to the vet for the last time. He’s so pitiful and sick, but he’s still Cisco so we’ll spend the next few days trying to say goodbye.

Something that has surprised me during this transition of me into a Stay-At-Home Mom is watching my pets also transition. The oddest change, has been how the animals are adjusting to having a toddler around all the time. NikkiZ has always liked the cats more than the dogs (they’re not as licky) but lately, all of the animals seem to want to hang out with her. If you’ll notice, it seems that Sunflower pops up in a lot more of our pictures lately. It’s like she is always hovering around NikkiZ, waiting for some love. NikkiZ, if she notices sunflower, will try to love on her a bit. It seems that Sunflower actually likes her form of love. The aggressive, sticky sort of love that only a toddler can offer.

NikkiZ would still like everyone to know that she still does not approve of dog kisses. She doesn’t mind the occasional snuggle, but the second that tongue comes out, she runs for the hills.

This is Cisco. MrZ bought him as a puppy a couple years before we met. Cisco is a Boston Terrier and has several medical conditions that make him the most pitiful family member. He shakes a lot and has seizures, although they’ve reduced greatly since we now live in a house with no stairs. He has bad knees and his teeth are too small. This means his tongue is almost always hanging out. He is MrZ’s first baby, but he loves everyone. Unless you dance. Or hug. He doesn’t like those two things and he’ll bark at you until you stop. He loves to play fetch and will eat anything you put in front of him.

This is Lil’ Girl. Aka: Lily G. MrZ’s friends found her when she was a pregnant stray and since they knew he had another boston, they brought her to him. He took good care of her and gave her litter away after it was born. She was part of the family every since. We don’t know her exact age, but the vet says she’s about the same age as Cisco. They had a litter together and two of those puppies live with MrZ’s parents. Lil’Girl is insane. She’s not a big fan of hugs or being pet, but she will try to give you kisses as long as you let her. If you are against doggie kisses, she becomes much more pushy. She will eventually slip you the tongue. You must learn to accept it. She’s very physically fit and could run/play for hours and never grow tired. She is the alpha dog in the house and takes care of the others. She cleans their ears and periodically humps them (even though she’s been fixed) just to remind them she’s in charge. She’s like me in that sense.

Both of the Bostons have stinky gas, but that is part of the breed. They also both snore. Luckily – their personalities make up for those two things.

This is Sweetie. She is a lab/beagle mix we rescued on the 4th of July several years ago. She earned the name “Sweetie” because she is, honestly, the sweetest dog you’ve ever met. When she’s not freaking out over your arrival. She panics when people come into our house, and gets so excited she often pees. But give it 10 minutes and she’ll be curled up in your arms and looking at you with her big brown human-like eyes (a lab trait) and you will not be able to resist her charm. She looks like a lab puppy, but is full grown. She is very hyper but also very sensitive and needs reassurance that you love her at least 54 times a day. She’ll eat paper and cloth of various sorts, depending on how much you want her not to eat it. If it’s an old sock you care nothing about? She won’t even look at it. If it’s your winter coat? It’s gone.

Those are our animals! Now you know!

This is Bambi. I was not a cat person and was mildly allergic but I rescued Bambi for LilZ right after his Dad and I split. Partly because I wanted some company when LilZ was at his Dad’s, and partly because I had a hard time saying “No” to LilZ. (Still Do.) We went to the shelter and he picked out the cat. He also was in charge of naming him, but since he was four, his first name was “Butterfly Poo Poo Pie.” That only lasted a few days and then he changed it to “Jake.” After a few weeks he changed it to “Bambi” and it has been Bambi every since.

Bambi loves to give the head butts, but would rather not be held. Bambi is really awesome and loves people and sometimes talks to you in weird Meows that sound like drunken english. Or maybe it’s because I was drunk. Either way, he’s awesome. And he was my first pet I could call all mine. When he gets a chance, he really likes to sleep on my head. He will also come when I call him. He loves me.

This is Sunflower. We adopted her in the same way as Bambi, letting LilZ choose the cat and the name. I was dating MrZ at that point, so Sunflower has always been around MrZ’s dogs and tends not to realize they are not cats. Or that she’s not a dog. She loves to be held and will hop into the laps of any stranger. Especially my father-in-law’s, who happens to be allergic. She seems to prefer those allergic to cats.

She will snuggle with the dogs and in weird places (as you can see here) that are either (a) warm or (b) hidden. She will sometimes hide in the laundry room only to scare the shit out of me when I reach to the pile of clothes she’s sleeping on. She hates her tail which means MrZ will taunt her with it endlessly. It’s quite funny and she never seems to catch on. She’s short but has a big belly so we sometimes call her Peanut Head. She’s the cat Most Likely To Think She’s a Dog.

MrZ and I have definitely become Cat People over the years. I’m sure there are cats not as awesome as ours, but we are quite fond of Bambi and Sunflower. Except for when they drink the milk out of cereal when we get up to get a glass of water at breakfast. We’d prefer they quit doing that.

I was browsing my Daily Chuck when I noticed a familiar face on the same page. My cat! Bambi! Looking all dapper as usual. When I first saw that Dooce was being sponsored by the HP Wetpaint Wiki, I signed up like a good lemming. I uploaded a couple of pictures of my animals (like this one) and then immediately got confused. I wasn’t sure what I was doing or what was the point. I’m kinda slow. BUT – my pictures are still there, of course. And I guess being used in an ad?

I know – not a big deal. But I thought it was cool and I know there are at least a few of you out there who will smile when you see that ad now and think, “Dude. That’s Zoot’s cat. Hanging out with Chuck.”

We bought the HD TV awhile back, but it has only really impressed me during Planet Earth because I’m girly and just don’t care about HD. I just want to see my shows. I don’t even really care if it’s in color.

But Sunflower? Has fallen so in love with the TV because it houses very realistic looking animals for her to watch and ponder the existence of. We caught her chasing a mouse and actually trying to paw at it during one HD show. Then the big cats came on and she found several different places to sit and watch the footage and was mesmerized by them for several minutes. It’s really neat because you can tell she knows they’re not real, but she’s still fascinated by them. Totally cool and makes me wish I could hear her thoughts.

So: How about a little question that is both silly and fascinating all at the SAME TIME. I’m blowing your minds here, people. Step back.

Why is it that ugly dogs are so cute? I have two dogs that fall into a breed that is not conventionally cute, they may even be considered conventionally a little ugly, but not only do I find them utterly and irresistibly adorable – but so does everyone else! It doesn’t work that way for humans, why does it work that way for dogs?

Don’t let the academic prowess I demonstrate intimidate you. Not everyone can be as brilliant as I am.