random truths – Day 1,027 (Sunday) – Winston-versary

On this date in 2012, Winston was officially living with me and Moose. For real. Forever. There had been a successful weekend-long test run several weeks earlier where the two dogs had a chance to meet and Win spent the weekend. 

Moose and Winston,
January 8, 2012.

Unfortunately, unlike Moose’s arrival which was announced with the equivalent of a full corporate press package with photos and Facebook posts and much heraldry, Winston's arrival was quieter. As the second fur baby, he did not receive the full benefits of royal proclamations, decrees, and individual photo shoots. 

This follows the pattern of the photo documentation of the kids in my family. As the firstborn, there are countless photos of my every move, breath, blink, and sleep position for the first 11 months of my life. Then my brother burst forth into the world, and there are lots of adorable pictures of the two of us, but not many of him alone. My sister, the youngest, is accompanied by a mob scene in nearly all her photos and there are close to none of her alone.

If not for mentions in Facebook posts that appear in memories, the anniversary of Winston’s special day might have escaped completely unnoticed and that makes me feel like a terrible pet parent. According to a post on January 8, 2012, “So far, life with two fur babies is kind of lame. Now there are two dogs moping and sleeping on the couch ignoring me. What's a gal gotta do to get some attention in this house?!? Maybe Lady GaGa's meat dress would help.”

The lounging period ended, things got lively, and the next post, later the same day, reads: “HOLY CRAP!! Suddenly the fur baby boyz have sprung to life! They are running all over the house and acting like derby girls in a bout -- hip checking, positioning, moving fast! Winston's tail is wagging, and Moose has never moved this fast in my presence.”

That’s pretty much how the next decade went – periods of leisure alternating with spells of frenetic activity. Now, with just Winston in the house, it’s a lot more of the quiet and lame level of things. The absence of the third personality really makes a difference. Plus, we aren’t as young as we used to be.

Winston and me, January 2023.

This 11^th anniversary of Winston’s arrival pushes him into record-breaking territory as my longest relationship, having surpassed Moose’s milestone record. If only I had this kind of patience and longevity with human relationships. Cripes, I haven't even been on an actual date since 2017, which was memorable mostly because it was awful. It's clearly Canine Overlords for the win.