I Dream in Cuban

I Dream in Cuban

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Happy Father's Day


     This is a big year for Mike. He turns 40 this October and I had been looking for the perfect gift for the man who not only has everything but gives everything too. He deserved to be spoiled. Many times in our marriage he has told me the story of his dog R.C. and what a good dog he was. I know better than to think that a guy like Mike would be fine with a great tempered poodle. With some guidance from the man himself I called up Alex Dunbar at CQBK9 (this is short for Closed Quarter Battle K9). I was a bit nervous getting a dog that on video looked like it could rip my throat out for a snack before devouring my children but Alex was patient with my super stupid mom questions. "Do you have dogs that like to play catch with kids?" "Can the dog change diapers?" He told me about his puppies he had for sale and also about some 1 year old, great looking, trained dogs he had but by chance I came upon a picture of the puppies next to their mom and I literally held my breath. 

     When people ask me what drew me to Mike I always say that he was nothing I was looking for but everything I ever needed. (Except he was hot too) Well, that is what Aspen was as well. I started looking for a puppy that had a long sable coat but after getting a glimpse of her liquid onyx coat I couldn't imagine having any other dog. Not to mention those eyes. She's got eyes like my hubby; caramel pools you could swim in for days. She is fierce when it comes to attacking the enemy but you should see her lick Nico from head to foot each morning. She also comes with a long list of commands in a foreign language. How cool is that? Just look at Mike hugging her, holding his cheat sheet of commands that first day. I love that she is a mommy just like me. I think that is why she spends the afternoon herding the babies in the back yard. It is really fun to watch. 

Aspen is kind of a big deal ( Ron  Burgundy voice). See her videos below

She was on the show Doomsday preppers and here she is doing some Bite work


Alex came down with Aspen to teach us how to command her but also to see if we were worthy of her. He is an exceptional trainer who truly loves his animals like his own children. He was patient with all of us and agreed to all of our requests which mostly consisted of seeing how Aspen did in social settings and in places we liked to go together. She passed with flying colors but now we truly understand what Alex meant by her being a bit fixated on balls. Like really fixated on them. She may never go to a baseball game with us because she would dive into the field to retrieve them. My heart melted to watch Golden play catch with her on the first night. But I also was supremely ticked that he could learn twenty odd Slovakian words in 24 hours in order to speak to her but cringes when I ask him to speak two Spanish words to me in the past 12 years. 



Do I really even have to comment on what the triplets think of her? 


Since we have had her, she has gone to the beach twice, the pool every day, and paddle boarding. She went to Scout camp and became the honorary mascot of the troop and earned a badge or two. And did I mention she is a counter terrorism, tracking, and service dog too. At camp, Mike sent a cross country kid off to hide and sent Aspen after him half and hour later and it only took her three minutes to find him. The kid said he rubbed his shirt on trees and went the opposite direction, ran through water and up trees to try and confuse her. No luck. She is a master at finding lost people which comforts me with this brood. I'm glad to see her following Mike all over the house and bonding with the family so well. The biggest problem we have is arguing about where she should sleep each night. I put her bed in our room for now but I think the kids will eventually coax her up to their rooms. 

Here is Alex with our family. We took him parasailing and I am sure Aspen could of done it too but I kept her with me.

I think she may be able to surf  too


Her first flight



She knows how to relax with us girls.

Just thought you should see Beau as a sand mermaid




 When Alex first came to us with Aspen he asked what my biggest fear was and I said that Aspen, to me, was like a gun that I had no idea where not only the safety was, but also the trigger. Now that we have been trained with her, I couldn't imagine a more secure form of protection in a home full of children. As Alex said in his video, she can never be bribed, she is tireless and loyal to a fault. Just like my husband I suppose. In short, we instantly fell in love with Aspen. She is amazing and I am glad that I didn't get a puppy because I have enough people to chase around cleaning pee and poop for. I'm glad Mike loves his present and I hope that she watches over him and keeps him safe along with the rest of my family for years to come. 

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