Leia and Winston (and Orko before him) were our kids before you came along. We called them our fur babies.
We adopted Leia from the SPCA the month after we got married. We brought her home on December 14, 2002, and that's the day we celebrate her birthday each year. Her previous family surrendered her because she escaped the back yard and ate baby diapers. Her name was Lucky, but we changed it to Leia after Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies. They told us she was about 2 when we adopted her. She's an Australian Cattle Dog mix. They were vague on what she's mixed with, but looking at her, you can see there's some Pit Bull in her. She is a SMART dog and very well behaved, despite the fact that she sheds enough for, like, 37 dogs. You'll grow up with her dog hair all over your clothes - get used to it. She'll turn 14 a couple months after you're born. She's still going strong for being an old lady, just losing her hearing. I think she'll be your protector.
We adopted Orko from a breeder in the Fall of 2005. He was an AKC certified Schnauzer that she had purchased for at least $1000 when he was a puppy to use as a stud. When we met him he was 7 years old and losing interest in the ladies, as she called it. She loved him, but wanted him to live the rest of his life as a pet, a life she couldn't offer him with all the other dogs she had. His name was Lady Dusty's Buster Brown and she called him Buster, but we changed it to Orko, after a character in one of Daddy's favorite childhood cartoons, He Man. It took him a while to adjust to being an inside dog, but for the most part he did, even if he did choose to occasionally sleep on a pile of newspapers rather than the comfy dog bed he had. He would let you do anything to him, he was very mild mannered and easy going. In early 2010 he was diagnosed with diabetes, which, after much research and discussion, we decided not to treat because of the financial and time burden on us, as well as the fact that he was already almost 12 years old. He lived a good life until the day before he died, you'd never know he was sick. On April 26th he had two huge seizures, and we decided it was time, so we put him to sleep, one of the most awful experiences of our lives.
In October of 2010 we bought a Schnauzer puppy from a friend's sister, who was selling them at a super low price because she didn't know to get their tails cropped early, and since Schnauzers aren't supposed to have tails, she couldn't sell them for what she wanted. He was born August 31st, and we brought him home on Halloween, at exactly 2 months old. We named him Winston, after the character Winston Wolf in Pulp Fiction. Daddy and I had never had a puppy, but we figured it out, and he's a good boy. He is super playful and has lots and lots of personality. He is a Momma's boy - loves to snuggle me and follows me everywhere. He'll turn 4 a couple months before you're born. I think you're going to be his new snuggle buddy.
We'll always have dogs in the house - they're fun, entertaining, and they'll help teach you about responsibility. Plus, they're a good example for how humans should behave because they give unconditional love.
I love you,
Mommy
