Betsy and the Dog

Also, Betsy is TWO!

Remember last time how I said things were starting to better click into place for Betsy, how she’s on the brink of some big milestones? Well, one indicator of that has been her recent interactions with Lucy.

Lucy happily destroying a new toy

I’ve always been a Cat Person, but I do love animals in general, and of course that includes dogs. When I married Ian, I suddenly became Dog Mom to Ginger and Lucy, his senior pups. Ginger, 16, is the smaller girl, most likely a rat terrier mix, and she is sweet and silly. Lucy, 15, is quite a bit bigger, and we’re not really sure what kind of mix she is (she kinda looks like a Dingo, and she’s always reminded me of that dog from the Doge meme), but she is definitely the more dominant of the pair. She also seems to have gone mostly deaf after having a minor surgery a few years back (we’ve heard that older dogs can sometimes be so affected by anesthesia), which in some ways has been a bit of a blessing. Although she mostly just barks while outside, she doesn’t bark nearly as much as she used to, which is great because her voice is very loud (Betsy starts crying if Lucy barks inside). Also, she is terrified of storms, and since she can no longer hear the thunder and pouring rain, she hardly ever gets panicky during them anymore. Lucy is extremely protective of her family, and doesn’t take well to visitors. Usually if we have someone coming over to do some recording, I’ll have to either send her outside or hold onto her until they can get down to the basement studio.

Doge—Lucy definitely does this exact facial expression

Lucy has always been interested in Betsy, likes to come check her out when we come home and I bring her in, still in the car seat. Lucy’s always gentle, just curious. Until recently, Betsy was mostly all “ok whatever” about Lucy. She’s never really paid much attention to either of our dogs, or my mom’s dog, or my cats. But lately that has changed. Several times in the past few weeks, she has tried to grab Lucy’s nose. It’s really cute, this look of curiosity comes over her face, and she scoots over as close as she can, then makes a grab (thankfully, a gentle one). Lucy just gives me the side eye, like, “What am I supposed to do now, lady? Will you please control your tiny human?” So I have been carefully teaching Betsy to touch the dog softly and gently, and showing her the best places to pet her. She also likes to try to pet Lucy with her foot while we’re sitting at the dinner table. The dogs often hang out nearby hoping for scraps, and Lucy is just the right height for Betsy to reach that way. Lucy is such a good dog (both dogs are!) and she is incredibly patient with our little girl. She adores every member of our family, and I think she’s hoping to have a friend for life in Betsy. (Just to note, Ginger is a bit more skittish, and very much not deaf, so I think she kinda gives Betsy a wide berth because, let’s be real, the kid sure can yell. She does show some gentle curiosity sometimes, just not nearly as much as Lucy does. Hopefully, Ginger will be with us long enough to really become friends with Betsy.) Anyway, while I may not actually be a Dog Person, I couldn’t ask for two better dogs, and I love these sweet girls.

Miranda being dogpiled by Lucy and Ginger

OH, and another thing you may remember from my previous post, today is Betsy’s birthday! That’s right…

It seems so surreal. She’s not a baby, but she totally still is. These two years have flown by, so it doesn’t feel like she’s two, and her slower development just adds to that feeling. We’re not doing a big party or anything, but Ian’s parents are coming to town tomorrow to do a joint birthday dinner for both Betsy and Ian (his birthday was last month), and we’re all really looking forward to that.

Sleepy girl who suddenly woke up being 2!

So just for fun, I’ll throw in a few more photos I took this morning, as well as a short video of her babbling and being sweet. I upload videos (mostly of her, but also sometimes my music) to my YouTube channel almost daily, so subscribing there is a great way to keep up with Betsy. I’ve actually posted three today, including the one below, so there’s plenty to check out!

Also, please consider subscribing here if you haven’t (or maybe go ahead and upgrade to paid if you have). Y’all. I checked my subscriber count this morning, and I’m sitting at 99. Ninety-nine! If you can help me break 100, that’d be awesome! Be sure to tap the heart icon to show some love, too. And if you don’t necessarily feel like being a paid subscriber, but you would like to make a one-time donation, you can tap the button below to “buy me a coffee.” If you have any questions about our sweet girl, just leave a comment and I’ll be sure to answer them. Thank you so much for reading!