Good thing she's cute.

Our dog is spoiled rotten. The couch is her favorite lounging place. Every morning she gets a piece of chicken jerky before she goes out and a treat when she comes back in if she manages not to bark at the pesky squirrels that love to taunt her. In the winter she sleeps in bed with us. I have to admit, she makes a good heater.

However, when people think having a dog is a good test for parenthood, I wholeheartedly agree. I mean it obviously isn't quite the commitment, but it's gotta be the closest thing you can get to it without actually having a kid. Now, one small admission that must be made, I think I may be slightly more attached to my dog than most people. I talk to her constantly, overly snuggle her, and constantly play with her ears. She makes me very happy.

She also tests my patience. On pretty much a daily basis. She barks incessantly at the kids that skateboard past our house. She shreds the mini blinds when there is thunder. If she doesn't feel like sleeping, apparently I am not supposed to feel like sleeping. And then there is the rolling. In anything and everything smelly. Well, not everything. She usually pretty much avoids poo. Unless it's from the rabbits in our yard. She saves that poo for eating.

But back to the rolling. Many deer use the dog park we frequent for their sleeping quarters. Leaving behind a patch of patted down grass that smells like deer. If you have never thought about what a deer smells like...be happy. They stink. Horribly. She loves loves loves to roll in these beds. Which means only one thing. Immediate bath.

Today took the cake. Not only did she find a deer bed, but this particular deer bed had a special present. A dead fish. She rolled on this fish three times before I got to her. The bath today involved copious amounts of tomato juice. And then about 6 & 1/2 cups of shampoo. The bathroom smelled like a rotten fish pasta dish.

The thing that kills me about this whole thing. As soon as the bath was over all I wanted to do was snuggle her. I even had a hard time not petting her little smelly rotten fish head on the way home from the park. I had to keep reminding myself that there was dead fish juice on her and I didn't want to touch that.

I can only think that if I have this kind of love for a dog, a furry, slobbery, critter with feet that smell like Fritos, that I didn't grow in my belly for 10 months...I am never going to be able to comprehend the love I am going to experience once I meet this kid.