Even from Germany I’m still having my pet series Friday and I’m so happy to have gorgeous Carmel from Our Fifth House with you today. Her blog was one of the first blogs I ever read and while I have read about her dog stories before, I thought that you guys might enjoy it too.
Hey there, I’m Carmel from Our Fifth House. I blog about diy projects, my passion for interior design and the stories that make our house a home. Today, I’m thrilled to be here to talk about my fur babies. I didn’t grow up with pets. My parents aren’t big pet people, and it honestly never really bothered me. I think probably because I didn’t know what I was missing! My husband, however, is a huge dog lover, and so when I married him I married into pet motherhood-ha!
We’ve been married for almost 14 years, and our first baby (Jake – the black dog pictured below) is still with us! He’s 15 now!
Jake was just barely a year old when Brad and I got married, and with us both working full time we thought getting him a companion would make-up for the time we were gone at work. So we adopted that blondie you see in the photo above from the humane society. I named him Prince after my favorite artist of all time. 😉
Prince had loads of personality. Seriously, when I read the book Marley & Me I thought for sure Prince had to be related. He was always in some kind of trouble. He was the crazy to Jake’s calm. Those two were quite the duo.
Sadly, we said goodbye to our beloved Prince in December of 2012, and it was one of the roughest experiences I’ve had in my adulthood. Being that I never had a pet growing up, I had never experienced what it feels like to lose one. I was surprised by the grief.
I was so sad after losing Prince. We all were. We spent a lot of time comforting his best friend who was also grief stricken.
I thought for sure I’d never ever get another dog ever again………why sign yourself up to go through that again?!……………..but never say never. 😉
In the fall of last year we welcomed a scruffy, little standard schnauzer puppy into our lives.
His name is Gandalf; we’re big Lord of the Rings nerds fans. 😉
It was good for our family to take some to heal before getting another dog, but it’s been wonderful, especially for the kids, to welcome this new bundle of energy into our lives.
The kids adore him! He keeps us all on our toes, and he’s really lifted old Jake’s spirits. With Jake being 15 we know our time with him is fleeting, but I think having Gandalf around will help to ease that sadness when the time comes.
I’ve been blessed to be the mother to 3 fur babies now, and each one holds a very special place in my heart. I can’t imagine a life without a furry friend………….all the work is so very worthwhile!
And it’s moments like these that stay with you forever.
Thanks for having me over to share my furry loves! They are rarely seen on my blog because Jake is camera shy and Gandalf moves at the speed of light- ha! But if you follow me on Instagram you might get to see a few pics of them.
UPDATE:
Carmel recently added to their family when they adopted little Elsa. Click HERE to read more about her.
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To read more animal posts you can click HERE.
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Such a sweet story! And I always love when people who have never had pets discover their love for them and realize what they have missed. Don’t you think so?
Make sure to pay Carmel a visit (click HERE). By the way you can see how she made the pallet bed that her dogs are lying on by clicking HERE.
Come back on Monday because I’ll give you a glimpse into my brother and sister-in-law’s new home.
Tschüß
(Youleeya)
i felt the same way as carmel- not ready to have another dog in our lives after losing charlie. but this summer has shown me our family needs it- sawyer especially. i have also seen our jake start to seem more tired and old…. even though he’s still fit as ever. he looks lonely and sad sometimes to me. looks like sunday we will remedy all of that and patch the hole in our hearts. 🙂 loved reading this- i just adore carmel. she’s one of the sweetest bloggers i know (and probably one of the most beautiful as well!)
Having lost my one baby this year and the second fur baby being 14 y.o., I’m finding my family discussing more and more what type of fur baby will come into our lives next. I, like Carmel, think it’ll soften the blow. 🙁
Gandalf is a adorable–I love a scruffy dog! Losing dogs is so, so hard….it always seems so unfair how short their lives are 🙁
What a lovely story and love to get to know Carmel a bit more- love her blog! Her pups are adorable, and the love they bring can only enrich lives, even when you think you can’t love another one like the one you lost! A new dog, a new love…and so the story continues. I just wish pets lived longer. Ive had dozens in my life and I guess I got used to getting attached and them leaving when my mom raised Basset Hounds in the 70’s and we had litters of puppies continually and of course I wanted to keep them all and would get attached against mom’s warnings. A puppy cures anything! Have a great weekend ladies! xo Nancy
What a great series! I love Carmel and her style and her pups. We also lost a basset hound earlier this summer and it was so tough, I still miss him. I did notice that you were basset-free on your series, Fletcher would more than happy to volunteer. I am sure he considers himself to be very trend-setting! 🙂
Love Carmel and her sweet fun babies! It’s obvious how much joy they bring to her family!
Carmel, I love the pics with your two legged kids and the fur pups together.
Awwww I love Carmel! She’s the best. Her fur babies are adorable:)
Thanks again for having me over to share! Love this series and all the furry friends featured!
Such sweet dogs. love it! The pictures a so beautiful as well!