Our new couch is a unicorn.

When we moved into this house seven years ago, I bought a new couch made specially for the main living area. If I was on that couch, Melvin was on the couch right next to me.

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When Jake came, he sorta owned the chaise part of the couch like a boss (see, one of my dogs did appreciate a good chaise). He would nap there, with his face pressed into the cushion and snoring loudly. He had therapy on the chaise. I changed his diaper there. That chaise saw its fair share of meatballs. We even  said goodbye to the little nugget on his favorite spot. But nothing more spectacular took place on that couch, than Melvin and Jake becoming soul mates. (also, their matching collar game was STRONG).

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My dad helped me get it cleaned up and we donated it to a fantastic organization called Gabriel Homes. They provide independent living for adults with Down Syndrome. It is now bringing joy to a new little family.

Someone asked me if it was hard to give it away since it is the couch where the boys became one.  The answer is, no. That couch doesn’t have to exist for my memories to live on. And the fact that it is making a new set of people happy, means their love lives on.

On the last couch, Doug had zero interest in using it for rest or hanging out with me. He used the chaise part as a cliff to jump off of as many times a day as possible.  Exactly what the leg surgeon suggested. Oh wait, no. Exactly what a dog with double TPLO, shin stabilizing and grade 4 luxated patella fix SHOULD NOT DO.

I legit had to pick a couch that was safer for Doug.

As for the new couch. Well it’s F’ing magical. Every time Doug is on it, he falls right to sleep. I am not sure if it is the couch alone or the couch paired with the new pillows, or that fact that there is no chaise since he so clearly ANTI CHAISE, but it doesn’t matter, because I have a magical unicorn couch and Doug snuggles now!

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#winning

 

Jake snuggles now.

Up until about a month ago, the only one who was ever successful at snuggling with Jake regularly daily hourly constantly was Melvin. Jake would snuggle with me if Melvin was snuggling with me, also known as jealous snuggling (he was jealous that Melvin was snuggling someone else).  He would snuggle if I constantly petted him.  If I stopped, say to itch my nose or reach for my drink, he was gone. There was never a single time I didn’t feel like I was holding him hostage.

The day we found out about his cancer I got down on the floor with him laid next to him.  I didn’t do anything but lay there, eventually he laid down too. WAIT, WHAT WAS HAPPENING? So I continued to just get on the floor with him, both of us just chilling out.

Then I inched closer for a few times, he was…calm.  I sorta kicked myself for not TRAINING him to snuggle sooner.  Now…he and I snuggle.  I wrap my arms around him, we nap, he rolls back…into me. I don’t know why it has happened, if he sensed I needed it or if he just got tired of fighting it, but my little dude snuggles now!  Maybe he pretends like I’m Melvin.  I am fine with that too.

Zero pictures of this phenomenon.  But its pretty friggen awesome.

Here are some photos of him being adorable.

The laying down ‘superman’IMG_7652

“Who is that sexy beast in the photo?”IMG_7963

Gaurd dog. IMG_7971

Have a great weekend!