Where Do You Rank in Your Family?

At least number 3... that's where I rank in our household of, let's see....., three! Yep, 3!! Let me rank the three for you: it's Cody, Tami , and Jim. Or, best case: it's Cody, Jim and Tami. In either case, I am below the dog!! Of course Tami would disagree and tell you that she loves me much more than Cody, our black 2 year old flat-coated retriever, but her actions speak

differently....

Here are a few examples:

• Cody can chew up a perfectly good pair of shoes, and Tami says "they were old anyway".


• Tonight I got home before Tami did. When she walked in the house, she said, "tell me how your day went today beautiful." Of course she said these words using a voice that sounded like she was talking to a 2 year old... and she was (one with 4 legs).


• What do you do with any unused bottled water? You guessed it.... pour it in the dog's bowl... bottled water for heaven's sake!!


• After a wonderful evening dinner with Tami on our back porch... maybe grilled steak, I notice that there's still steak left on Tami's plate.... cut into appropriate sized bites for you-know-who. Yoo hoo.... remember me? I'll eat the beef tenderloin....!!
• The frequency of our car washes has increased significantly since Cody likes to stick his head out the window and drool down the side of our Toyotas. She says, "they needed washing anyway".


• The dog has a bark that will raise the dead. Not just loud - but it's a sort of howl... not a howl exactly though, it's more "howl-like" than anything. Actually, for a few seconds, it sounds like someone just stabbed him. Trust me, at 2 AM, I sit up in bed like I'm the one that just got stabbed!


• When I punish the dog for something, you would think I was a convicted criminal. I punish the dog and 10 seconds later, she's loving on him... You think he's confused??


• I have spent more money on this animal than I could have ever imagined: $1000+ for an underground fence, $100's on Doggie Day Care, $100's on overnight boarding, $100's on vet visits, and no telling how much on treats, food, and car washes...
• Cody likes to "goose" people. Consider yourselves warned if you come to our house. Tami thinks it's cute...

Cody is a rescue dog from a pound in Lexington, KY. Our daughter Caitlin gets credit for that kind act. But, then after keeping him in a small apartment and realizing that he was going to grow to about 60 pounds, she decided that we should keep him... thanks Cait! Of course, Tami loved the idea! So, we are now considered adoptive doggie parents...

I've calculated the number of hours I spend with Tami on an average day, and the number Cody spends with her. Yep, he spends more time with her than I do... They have bonded quite a bit, and seem to have this intuition and language all their own. She loves Cody and he loves her. I'm just the guy trying to raise my rank, while keeping my shoes off the floor. See ya at the car wash...