I won't be able to answer that question here but I will say that love is probably what this blog is about.  We don't have children and I'm doing my best in this blog to not come across as a loony, pet-obsessed, dog stroller walking around kind of person, because I don't see myself that way (oh, if only everyone saw us as we see ourselves....).

No, seriously though, I think we're pretty normal.  We're a married couple, both with full time jobs, just trying to make our way in the world.  It just so happens that a lot of our world is dominated by a little puppy named Copper...

It all started right after we got married, about two years ago.  We had lived in New York City before our wedding and after moving to Virginia I pretty much insisted that it was time to get a dog.  After all, although we lived in an apartment downtown, with no yard to speak of and concrete all around us, we were out of the big city and it should be a breeze to take care of a dog!  Rationally, I fell in love with the first breed I met in Virginia--a Tibetan Terrier.  Our friends had Stan, a beautiful, black and white, shaggy, perfect size, great temprament, lovable little Tibetan Terrier.  I needed one too.

Well, Tibetans weren't easy to find.  They are pretty rare in the US, which only peaked my interest in them even more.  Tibetans were originally kept by Tibetan monks almost 2,000 years ago and were considered good luck.  Well, I figured a little good luck in our first year of marriage couldn't hurt.

So, like mother, like daughter, I decided I needed a blonde Tibetan (no, I've never dyed my hair not once, I swear).  As luck would have it, a reference from the AKC led me to a breeder in northern Virginia, near Manassas, who happened to have a young, blonde Tibetan Terrier in her litter.  I don't remember how I convinced my husband, but that Saturday we found ourselves driving two hours to the middle of nowhere to meet our new friend.

I don't know of a single soul who has ever been to visit a dog with the wee thought they might come home with a dog without actually getting a dog.  I did probably propose the trip to my husband with the premise that we didn't necessarily have to get a dog that very day, but really, who was I kidding.  Next thing I knew I was in the back seat, little blonde Wembley in my lap, headed back to our home for the first time as a family of three.

We had such good times with Wembley, she was our little Virginia dog and while she had her quirks, we most certainly had ours as well and isn't that what life is all about.  Everyone knew Wembley, most likely because she was scared of everything, first and foremost people, but somehow that made us love her even more.  And oh how she loved us in return.  Wembley became the most loyal, caring, affectionate and sweet little pet we could ever ask for.  She thought we hung the moon and I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual.

Sadly, we moved away from Virginia to our new home in Alabama and the stress and newness of a new location sent Wembley scrambling through her fence and down the street and out of our lives forever.  Did I think it's strange to have loved an animal that much?  Yes.  Did I think that love won't happen again?  I wasn't sure.  A key part of my world felt like it had fallen apart in an instant.

We had always said that we needed to get Wembley a friend to bring her out of her shell.  One of our good friend's parents have two Brittany Spaniels (actually, the AKC just calls them Brittanys), and we had decided that unbelievably high energy + exceptionally timid energy = a great pair, and that the breeds might be able to teach each other a thing or two about life.

But with Wembley gone so fast it didn't seem right to get another dog.  Plus, we were in a new town, we had bought a new house, we both had new jobs....we were busy, after all.  But a few weeks after Wembley died my mom was looking in the Sunday classifieds.  Right there, in our little hometown paper, was a litter of Brittanys and a litter of Tibetans.  I haven't had too many signs in my life, and am not sure I would know how to spot them if they have crossed my path, but Tibetans are one of the more rare breeds of dogs in the world, especially in the US.  I couldn't help but think our little Wembley was ready for us to share our love with a new friend, although I knew I couldn't possibly be ready for another Tibetan.

Well, have you ever been to visit a dog with the wee thought you might come home with a dog without actually getting a dog?  Yeah, me neither.  And so Copper came into our life.

I've gone on longer than I planned, but history is so important in life, its what we come from that makes us who we are.  So here we are today, with our adorable little Copper, and many adventures to come.  What is love?  Gosh, I know I'm still learning.