I told myself I wasn’t going to blog about the dog for at least a week, but today’s her first birthday and I’ve got nothing else, so…

This was taken the weekend we brought her home, back in May:

While I do miss that Ewok/Wookiee hybrid look, she’s a happier doggy trimmed down, and I’m a happier mom. The shorter hair also suits her personality, so I only miss the fuzzy cuteness when I see pictures.

There are so many reasons this dog shouldn’t be for me. I like DOGS—German Shepherds are my particular favorite. Obedient, big dogs to bomb around with, dogs that would rip somebody’s throat out if they messed with the boys. Dogs that are bigger than a frisbee. My kids refused to rename her, so she’s Mini, which happened to be the name of the little rat dog my batshit crazy, flying monkey-siccing grandmother owned when I was a child. She’s stubborn and high-maintenance and high-strung and clingy and easily stepped on and everything I dislike about ankle biters. (Except she actually barks instead of yipping.)

But watching her personality develop over the last nine months has totally won me over. She’s not only cheeky and stubborn, but she’s hilarious. I’ve watched her work her ass off hiding a stick in her “armpit”, against her harness, then walk sideways away from me to smuggle it into the house. If I get off the couch, she’ll immediate curl up in my spot. When I tell her to get over, she’ll move four inches to the left, then smile at me. When I point out my ass is bigger than that, she sighs and goes all the way to the other end of the six foot couch, snorts, then lays down. For the record, my ass is not 5’10” wide, either. She’ll go out of her way to make me laugh, then give me wounded puppy dog eyes when I do.

Honestly, it’s like she and the Short Kid are somehow twins. Weird, but true.

Anyway, happy birthday to my Minibella. To celebrate, here’s one of my very favorite pictures of her and her cohort in crime: