Ikey-Pikey

One of the kids' favorite parts of my parents visting is that they bring their DOGS! Yes, both of them- Ike, a loveable 80-pound Boxer; and Tini, a 5-pound black-and-tan Chihuahua.
Ike used to be ours. Brent gave him to me as my wedding gift back in 2006. I was so excited to have him...I LOVE that dog. He's obedient and gentle with kids. He's a spaz at times; however, he loves to cuddle at the end of the day.
We did well with Ike when we lived in North Dakota because he had 2.5 acres to run on, and another dog (Fanny, our Springer Spaniel) to play with. But, after we found out that we were moving to California, we gave our Springer to another hunting family because we didn't think it was fair to take Fanny out of her hunting element. We also moved away from our home with a HUGE yard. Poor Ike's world shrunk dramatically.
Then we had Danielle, and my time for playing with him was cut even more short because I was juggling two kids under two years old, and our postage stamp-sized backyard was just too small for him to run in. I felt like all I was doing was escorting poor Ike from the kennel to the backyard, with little interaction inbetween. My heart broke for that poor dog, and I felt helpless as a doggie parent because I was so strapped for time and energy.
From the very beginning, my dad had a strong bong with Ike. He would always offer to take Ike if we needed to give him up; Brent and I used to blow it off as a joke. "We've got it, Dad," we used to say. But, soon we began to question whether or not he was serious about it...
One day, I asked my dad if he would take Ike. "Sure thing!" he said. But then there was hesitation. Ike is a big dog, and my parents already had two dogs at the time. They had just lost Odie, my dad's yellow lab buddy, and soon realized that by only having little dogs, they were still able to travel. My dad was considering when to retire, and traveling was a viable issue to deal with. But then again, he wanted another big dog to have around.
So, in his hesitation, we asked neigbors and friends. No one. We didn't want to give him to a shelter, so we held out a bit. Again, did I say that I love this dog?!
Then, one day, I got a phone call: Dad and Mom wanted IKE! We were so happy- it was the best of all worlds: Dad got another big dog that was trained, and he could still stay in our lives. My parents spoil that dog, in a good way, by letting him play in their 1/2-acre backyard and taking him on lots of walks. He even gets along well with my parents' Chihuahua, who is VERY picky as to who she is friendly with.
So, now, whenever my parents come to visit, so does Ike and Tini. The dogs are very much "at home" here in LA, and in Yuma, where they go to see my sister and her family. They just put the dogs in their kennels in the back of their BMW station wagon (and, believe it or not, it all fits!).
..and Gracie still considers "Ikey-Pikey" her best friend. ;)