Today is little BonBon’s second birthday!
It seems so long ago when I drove about 40 miles with a friend to pick up our new puppy. She had been driven cross-country in an RV from the breeder back in Ohio.
The little tyke cost us a bundle compared to the other three Boston Terriers that we’d known: Booger, $800; JayJay, $300; Baby, $900, BonBon… $4,000! She was also the tiniest, expected to weigh only about 16 pounds at maturity.
The Manning pack, Booger and Baby (JayJay had crossed the Rainbow Bridge by that time) welcomed little Bonnie into the house with open paws. They quickly taught her everything that she needed to know: where to pee and poop; the use of the doggie door; the meal schedule; where the toy box was; and, of course, how to beg for treats and scraps.
Both Booger and Baby brought forth their maternal characteristics to help BonBon feel comfortable and safe.
That didn’t help much when a neighbor friend dropped Bonnie and broke her right femur. The mournful howl from that injured pup haunts me to this day. A couple of thousand dollars later, BonBon had a surgically-repaired leg and was racing around the house in short order.
Now, about 1-1/2 years later, all the dog has to show for the traumatic event is a white discoloration on her leg. Other than that, it’s as strong as her other limbs.
Bonnie is different from the other Bostons that we’ve had. She’s super sweet, has the uncanny ability to smell lost items (usually toys and bones), is tenacious when trying to recover them, likes to hide out in her little “cave” when she needs some alone time, and prefers “keep away” to “fetch” when playing with a ball. BonBon expects her toys to be available after breakfast and will get in my face and stare at me if I don’t put the toy basket on the ground. In this way, she is the spokesperson for the Pack, insisting on their right to play when they want.
The dogs play continuously when they aren’t napping. By the evening, we are tired of all the activity and noise, so we go around the house, pick up all of the toys, put them into the toy basket, and place it on a table, out of reach. Then, we sit down on the sofa to enjoy TV. Almost immediately, BonBon will begin a hard target search of the Manning estate, looking for toys that we missed or, more likely, that she stashed in concealed locations during the day. Invariably, we will be enjoying a TV program when we will notice BonBon gnawing on a bone or teasing the other dogs with a toy. It’s annoying but precious at the same time.
She likes comfort. Almost every day, after I make up our bed, she jumps up onto it and buries herself in the accent pillows, making a mess out of the bed. She does the same thing in the guest room. In the living room, she likes to perch up on the top of the sofa back, to give herself a bird-eye view of the activities.
Bonnie is also our pickiest eater. Booger used to be like that: on most days, she’d gobble up whatever was put in front of her; on others, she’d pick at her food and maybe only eat a bit. As opposed to JayJay, Baby, and now Vinnie, who live to eat, Booger and BonBon eat to live.
Bonnie adapted well to RV life on the road and loved the beach in Coos Bay. She accidentally learned how to swim there, when she raced out into the ocean and realized that she was in over her head. She also learned the rules of “staying” in our patio area while off-leash and very rarely wanders off the artificial grass. She’s a good dog.
Bonnie got a wonderful Christmas present this past December when we decided to adopt Vinnie.
The two of them are almost the same age, have the same amount of energy, and love chasing each other about the property. They have been BFFs since the get-go, although she also has a very tight bond with Baby. She’s lucky to have both a sister and brother who love her.
Not much is certain in life, but it is highly likely that Charlie and I will be able to enjoy BonBon for the rest of our days. That’s a lot of love that we can look forward to.
This afternoon we are going to play “Easter Egg Hunt” with the dogs to celebrate the big day. We will hide treats around the house and set the three dogs loose to find them. I’m predicting right now that the Super Sniffer, little Bonnie, will win the competition.
Happy Birthday, BonBon!
