People always ask how did I come to own five dogs. Well, here’s the story. I got my first puppy, Ore, when I was in graduate school at Texas A&M University. She’s the oldest and the reason for TLDOM. She was my only pet for a year. Then I met my partner, who owned two dogs, Lamar (standard Schnauzer) and Kinzie (Rat Terrier Chihuahua mix). We became a blended family of three. I had always wanted a French bulldog. I’ve always thought they were the cutest little dogs! I finally convinced my partner that we should get one. It took a lot of convincing and lots of research to find the right breeder for us. We finally decided on a breeder in Pflugerville and picked the only brindle puppy in the litter. That’s how we ended up with Averie. Frenchies are like potato chips; you can never have just one! A year later, we decided on getting one more. That’s when we found Effie - she has completed our family.

All the dogs get along great with each other. It’s never a dull moment! All five dogs have very strong personalities:

·       Ore is my shadow and my best friend!! She just loves being around people. She’s constantly checking on me and has to have eyes on me - It’s so cute.

·       Lamar has two moods - super hyper or extra chill. He loves to play hard, bark loud, take mid-day naps, and loves his butt scratched. He’s the only boy in the house and tries his best to get the girls to play with him, but they pay him no mind.

·       Kinzie is the diva and the fun patrol. She constantly patrols the level of fun the other dogs can have. We all follow Kinzie’s rules and do as she says. She loves to snuggle up on her favorite bed, the couch, or under our bedsheets. When she doesn’t want to be bothered by any of us (humans or dogs), she will find a quiet place to sleep – may that be the closet or the bathroom.

·       Averie is our big lazy couch potato. Averie gets most excited over food; she drools all over the place and jumps in the air like a dolphin from the excitement. She loves to lay on the couch pillows and her favorite bed. If you don’t watch her, she will get on the kitchen table to search for a loan snack or crumb. She is our less mischievous dog. Her overall mood is very, very chill.

·       Effie is shy at times and is full of wiggles when she’s happy. She was the easiest dog to potty train. She just never used the restroom in her kennel. Effie loves her dog bones and her kennel. If any of the other dogs have her favorite bone, she will sit right by them and wait for them to get distracted and steal it back. When she’s ready for bed, she just walks over and opens her kennel door, and puts herself to bed. Her best buds are Lamar and Averie. They love to sit out and sunbathe.

Owning five dogs can get pricey from all the food, supplements, additives, and monthly medicine. Our dogs eat twice a day and are on good quality dog food. Their food has a balanced content of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. These ingredients do not increase your pet’s weight but still fulfill all the nutritional requirements. So, keeping them on a high-quality dog food diet is one of the best ways to keep their weight in control. We give them Simparica TRIO, a monthly chewable tablet that protects them against heartworm disease, five types of ticks, fleas, roundworms, and hookworms. This cuts down on the number of pills we have to give them every month.

Currently, we do not plan on adding any more fur babies to our pack, but who knows. Things are subject to change. Just remember, when owning multiple pets, make sure you have the time to dedicate to them all; exercise needs (depending on the breed), financial needs; food, medication, vet visits, and dedication to them for the rest of their lives. Having five dogs can be overwhelming at times, but I love seeing all their little happy faces.