I have mentioned them before in several posts, but today I'm going to tell you a little more about Bailey and Rosie, our two Miniature Australian Shepherds! Parker got Bailey before we ever met. He thought he bought a full size Australian Shepherd, but then she stopped growing. He was embarrassed at first to be a single man with a Miniature Australian Shepherd, but he now realizes how amazingly blessed he was. She is now 6.5 and the best, sweetest, calmest, most well-behaved, beautiful dog (in my humble opinion :) ).
After Parker and I had been together for just over two years, we decided to get Rosie. We had been talking about how sorry we felt for Bailey having to be home by herself all day while we were working in Huntsville. We thought a friend would make her less lonely. On Valentine's Day 2014, we did quite a bit of research trying to find another mini Australian Shepherd. We eventually stumbled upon Blue Buckaroo, which was located about an hour away in Tennessee. It just so happened that our timing was perfect. There was a litter of puppies that was just turning old enough to be picked up the next day. Every single puppy in the litter was reserved, except for "Roxy." All of the other pups in her litter were blue merles. She was the only tricolor, which is what Bailey is. We were SOLD and reserved her immediately!
We decided that night we would change her name to Rosie. When we were making the decision, there were roses around for Valentine's Day. And have you been to the Mexican restaurant in Huntsville called Rosie's? Amazing! Plus, her original name was Roxy, and we thought Rosie wouldn't be too difficult of a name change for her, if her previous owners had been calling her that.
I don't think Parker or I slept more than 2 hours that night due to the excitement/nerves of adding a new pup to the crew. Our biggest concern was how Bailey would react to another dog being added to the family. Parker decided that we should bring Bailey with us to meet her new baby sister. When we got there, the lady handed us Rosie and said she was the calmest, snuggliest, sweetest puppy in the litter. We found out within about 2 minutes that the lady was incorrect about this girl being calm. She wiggled and squirmed in my arms the entire trip back to Huntsville. Bailey was NOT so sure about Rosie. She squeezed herself between Parker (who was driving) and the window to get as far away from Rosie as possible. While Rosie was trying to get out of my lap and play with Bailey the entire time.
It was quite an adjustment going from having sweet, calm Bailey to having Bailey and this wild little playful puppy. At one of Rosie's puppy check ups, we asked the vet when he thought Rosie would calm down a little bit. He told us that there are two different types of Australian Shepherds. 50% of them are very calm. 50% are very wild. It was easy to see which of our dogs fit in which category. So to answer my question, the vet said Rosie would be 6 or 7 when she calmed down. I said 6 or 7 months? He said no, 6 or 7 years.
It took quite a bit of time, but Bailey eventually got used to her wild baby sister. She has shown us in so many ways how much she loves her, and now they are truly inseparable. You will not find one without the other. We love them both more than our hearts can even handle, and they are most definitely our spoiled little princess children.
I am selfishly happy to have so many of my favorite photos of Bailey and Rosie in one place. Plus, who doesn't smile when looking at puppy photos? I hope these pictures can bring some joy to your Wednesday!
Bailey's favorite way to hang out with Rosie when she was a puppy- with her head stuck in a fence. :)
This little pup has grown up quite a bit, but her love for bones has not changed at all.
Fresh haircuts from our FAVORITE groomer ever- Natalie at Best Friends Animal Hospital in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Thanks so much for reading! Have a great day! AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!