Happy Gotcha Day, Jones!

Happy Gotcha Day, Jones!

‘Member this guy?? My heart MELTS to see this little face, oh.my.goodness. I remember thinking Jones was so big when we got him and was slightly disappointed we didn’t get a tiny little puppy like I’d imagined for years. Then this picture pops up and reminds me how bitty he was compared to now. Look at this dude!

He always gets so serious when the camera is pointed at him.  Turd.  Can you believe it’s been two years already?!? That’s right, two years ago tomorrow, we brought home our sweet Jones from his amazing foster home. Since we don’t know his actual birthdate, we celebrate his Gotcha Day instead. Ready for a trip down memory lane? Grab a drink, settle in, buckle up! Here are my most favorite pictures of our sweet Jones…

Jones is a Cattle Dog mix, potentially with pit bull, although more and more I’m thinking he’s mixed with American Bulldog.  He’s 80 pounds of pure love, this guy. A total attention fiend, he wants to be pet, played with, adored and entertained at all times. Although he’s calmed quite a bit, he’d still prefer to follow me around everywhere I go.

I begged Joe for a dog for years – no lie – and when he finally agreed, there was no turning back.  Here’s the announcement post. I’ve never had a dog for any length of time before, and Jones never ceases to amaze me.  His first Gotcha Day post is filled with all the things he learned over his first year (check it out here). I’m still in awe of how quickly he learns new things.  Just recently, we trained him not to potty on the new grass we installed. Granted, we started with a solid foundation, thanks to his foster family: we didn’t even have to potty train him to begin with!

Check out his first day home with us, demonstrating his smarts in the cutest way:

Jones Cattle Dog Mix Puppy Training paintedposies.com

I know it’s cheesy, but I can’t imagine our life without Jones.  He is my most loyal sidekick. Hiking, camping, playing at the beach, morning walks, evening walks, gardening, being silly, being lazy. He was hugely comforting when I felt so lost and alone earlier this year, in a way that a human just couldn’t be. When I just wanted to sit and be sad, Jones sat with me.  No words, no expectations. I never imagined having a dog would be like this.

Yep. I’m that chick. I adore our dog, and I’m not even a little bit embarrassed. I mean, this isn’t news if you follow my Instagram, right?

Anyway. Happy Gotcha Day, Jones!  I’m so, so happy you’re ours.