A Lifetime of Loving Dogs

It all started with Angus, our beagle/basset/spaniel mix. A true companion and wonderful dog to grow up with. Then on to Oliver, my golden sweetheart who was the love of our lives and who Dama took care of when we were engaged in Ollie's final days. Then the gentle giants of Emma and Rockford, 2 bull mastiffs with so much love to give. We have always had dogs in our lives, and when we haven't, there was something missing.

The road to the first Hakamada dog was a long process. When we got married, we knew eventually we would have a dog and never imagined it would be 10 years later.

There are so many times that someone waits for "13 o'clock". You know, that mysterious time when everything is "right". I have heard it many times and have done the same. "We need to wait until the timing is right". Or "we have to do x and Y before we can do this". This is what happened with getting a family dog.

All the while we thought long and hard about breeds, what we will do when we go on vacation, the walks, the feeding, the vet bills, the mess, the grooming, the heartbreak when they go. But it never swayed us. Having a dog was just a dream we always wanted to fulfill.

The time finally came when everything seemed right and that's when Baxter came along.

And he is the dream we have waited for. He honestly has changed life for us in so many ways. The puppy days were so much work. I remember early on Googling "how old when a puppy settles down". He wore me out, night and day. I often wondered why I had done this to myself.

Why? Because now he is a Hakamada. He is truly part of the family. He has given us so many moments of fun and happiness. He fits in like a glove. He loves the kids and they love him. They take responsibility for him and he is teaching them. They know the love that we have always had for our pets. He craves being with the kids, whether it is on the couch during a movie or when they hide in the tall grass at the dog park and he tracks them down. I am so happy we have given them the gift of Baxter.

Life just would not be the same without him.