Blog, how I’ve missed you! And to my sweet friends who have this rambling account of my life automatically delivered to your email box, you’ve probably been wondering where I’ve been. What a wild and crazy summer it was; and then a wild and crazy start to the school year; and now, it’s almost Halloween. Times flies. And, hopefully, my blogging absence made your heart grow fonder for my blathering. So, back to it…and with a vengeance. (A month from now, you’ll probably ask Santa to put me on a blogging hiatus.)
We celebrated a special anniversary in our home this past week. One year since the arrival of our dog.
Last October, I finally caved to the many requests made by Husband and Son. “Can we please get a dog?” I agreed to it on the condition that they could find a breed that met my long list of unusual requirements. In my heart, I didn’t think such a dog would exist, but, a few weeks later, our 9 week old Lagotto Romagnolo puppy arrived. We named her Ritz, as in the hotel, not the cracker.
Flashback to November 2007. My son was then 2-years-old and we were staying at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Southern California. My son loved everything about that hotel: the elevators, the child-size bathrobes, room service with chocolate milk every morning, and the box of toys that the hotel manager left in the room prior to our arrival. Since we were there the week of Thanksgiving, holiday décor was abundant in the hotel, including an amazing, life-size gingerbread village built by the pastry chef. Clearly, any 2-year-old would think the Ritz-Carlton was Heaven. (Actually, I feel this way, too.)
The morning of our departure, my son announced that someday we would have a dog and he was going to name it “Ritz”. We were spending the day with dear friends and we all laughed the way you do at cute little kids when they say something funny. We visited that same Ritz-Carlton several times over the next two years, and each time, Son would repeat, “someday I’m going to have a dog named Ritz.”
So, when the little brown ball of fur arrived from Italy last Fall, it was very clear what her name would be. It fits her personality to be named after a luxury hotel group. She has very clear preferences of food, toys, bones to chew on, and playmates. She is accustomed to getting her own way –although she may have picked that trait up from me – and certainly does not like to be told “no” – again, something she probably inherited from me.
Ritz discovered the pool early in our hot summer and fell in love. She spent the entire summer swimming around and escaping the record setting, triple-digit Texas heat. Unfortunately, when we finished swimming, we were usually in a rush to get ready for the next activity or meal and we got into a very bad habit of not brushing her. End result: matted hair. (Yes, you read that correctly: Lagottos have hair, not fur, which is what makes them hypoallergenic.)
So, Ritz had a major haircut mid-summer and it was not pretty. She gave me dirty looks for an entire 24 hours after she left the groomer. I spent the next week bribing her with special treats and extra love, and she finally got over it. I kept telling her that at some point in every girl’s life, there is a VERY bad haircut (mine went on for a 2-year time period when my mother went through a perm phase.)
Present day: three months later and my beautiful Ritz has hair again! Her hair has grown back and she’s as pretty as ever! And I will never forget to brush her again! Ritz always brings a smile to my face…and, more importantly, to my Son’s face. In one year, she’s truly become a key member of our family and one that I can’t imagine my life without. I love her; I love her name; and I love how she was part of our family a long-time before she ever arrived.
And that makes me smile.
PS: Here is a really cute video from the Discovery Channel about Lagottos for any of you interested in a really fabulous breed!
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