Pet of the Month!
January:
Zippy!
Zippy, aka Zip, Zip Zip, Dog dog, and Old Lady Dog, is a roughly 14-year-old “dorgi” (dachshund/corgi mix) rescue from the Seattle Humane Society. She joined my husband and I in 2012, right after we got married and bought our first home. The foster family said she was between 2 and 4 and was found wandering the streets as a stray. They warned us she may not like my husband as she was not a fan of men but that we could try and meet her. On that fateful summer day in the summer of 2012, in a park in north Seattle, she ran immediately for Jeff and flopped over on her back for belly rubs. Jeff had never had a dog before and didn’t understand at the time how special it was that this dog, who hated men, rolled right over for him. She has been our constant companion since, fitting right in with our two cats at the time, protecting us from every noise, and just generally being a happy dog. Some of her quirks include: hating the rain, despite living in the PNW her whole life, mutilating stuffies for their squeakers, and her chill nature with all other animals while simultaneously hating every human being not in her family.
In 2014, I became pregnant with my oldest child. We were worried with her reactive nature that we would have to give her to another family. Instead, she was the perfect nanny dog, running to us every time he even so much as fussed. She has helped us foster other dogs and cats throughout the years, welcoming them to our home, showing them the ropes, and allowing the foster kittens to bite and scratch and play with nary a growl. A few years ago, we decided to get a puppy. At first, we thought that we had ruined her “retirement” with this additional ball of energy. But, living true to her name, she has zipped all about, keeping up with our puppy, barking at him when he needs correcting, and being his partner in crime and best friend.
In her old age she has gone “completely” deaf (she still barks at every falling leaf, so I’m not fully convinced she’s not just ignoring us), has a harder time getting up and down the stairs, and has a harder time holding it before we can let her out in the morning. But, for as long as she wants to be with us, we’ll continue to “accidentally” drop pieces of steak, give her extra treats while we train or other dog, and let her sleep at the foot of the bed.
