Words from a wallflower

Tulips

Before I went back home to Washington, my mom had planted 30 tulips in her front yard. Only eight remain standing, as the rest were stampeded by two puppies who couldn’t resist sitting on the stems or putting the petals in their mouths.

Just over two weeks ago, my family brought home two Goldendoodle puppies. We have always been a dog family, often having two dogs at once but never ones the same age. This time, though, to have our dogs grow up at the same time, we got two who are half sisters, and they couldn’t be more opposite in their personalities.

Brona is the older one by two weeks, and she is one of the most stubborn dogs we’ve had. She lays down when we put her leash and won’t budge until you feel like you’re going to start dragging her across the ground. Her disapproving growls and her beady eyes that are almost indistinguishable from her dark fur that stare at you when you pick her up let you know that she is truly annoyed over being forced to do something that she doesn’t want to do. When she’s in a less grumpy mood though, she loves running laps around our living room, looking outside by our front door, and barking at her sister.

Juno is the one who causes chaos in the house, chewing on anything from the carpet to tables and fearing nothing, as evident from her chasing the vacuum. Before we brought her home, she was a quiet and sweet puppy…the quiet part is long gone. Although she has turned out to be somewhat of a pistol, Juno is also a happy-go-lucky puppy who is thrilled to do anything, whether that be sleeping with all four of her paws up in the air or rolling in the dirt in the backyard. More so than Brona, she has taken to our older Golden Retriever, Marlee, who practically has a mini me following her like a shadow.

Despite how different the two are, they have brought a ton of energy and love into our home, entertaining us through the day and often keeping us up at night too. The 22 tulips that were lost in only a matter of the first two days of bringing them home were worth it for having two adorable and sweet puppies around our house. I’m sure when the tulips grow back next spring that they will survive Brona and Juno.