Happy 4th Birthday Sterling!

Our computer broke and we finally got a new one so once again I am playing catch up. On October 27th we celebrated our "first born's" 4th birthday! When we first got married everyone told us to get a puppy before we had children because we would learn a lot about each other and how we would raise our children. We picked our girl out of a litter of 13 Weimaraner puppies and Sterling turned out to be an excellent choice. That was good advice since she was a very, shall we say, "spirited" puppy and Berkeley was a very "spirited" newborn. 4 years later Sterling still very much has the spunky and infectious personality of a puppy and I often say she will go straight from puppy hood to geriatric.

Sterling is 65 lbs. of pure muscle (very heavy muscle), but she insists on sitting on my lap whenever she gets the chance. I am a sucker for dogs (animals in general) and find it impossible to say no, especially when she looks at me with those beautiful eyes and practically hangs her huge "dumbo" ears to the ground. She brings a whole new definition to the word manipulation :) It works every darn time!

Sterling stole our hearts and everyone else's from the very beginning. I took her to work with me for the first 6 months. Everyone in the entire office complex would come to get their "Sterling fixes" every day and to bring her treats. Eventually she got too big and Thomas got a new job with Jerry who insisted she come to work as well. Sterling has become the office mascot and usually winds up on the cover of the office calendar or Christmas newsletter. Every time clients come in they must first visit with Sterling before getting down to business. When she takes the day off from work the first thing out of every client's mouth is "Where's Sterling?" She is absolutely irrisistable to everyone who truly knows her. When Amanda started working there I remember her saying she wasn't a huge dog fan, and I thought "Oh dear, this could really be a problem." I'm happy to report Amanda got a dog about 7 weeks ago. She said it was Sterling who changed her mind and made her like dogs!

Sterling has also wormed her way into Jerry's heart. He will often ask if Sterling can come over for movie night. She will go over to his house for movies and popcorn and even gets to sleep in the bed! He recently dog sat for his sister who has a 6 month old pug and I asked him if he let her sleep in the bed. His response was "Don't be silly, she's not Sterling for goodness sake!"

Sterling has brought so much love and joy into our home. Every time we have a rotten day we can always count on her to make us smile as soon as we walk through the door. Any problems seem to disappear whenever Sterling is around to make us laugh. This may sound silly, but she has given me a glimpse of how God loves us unconditionally. I think dogs are the only beings on this earth that are able to show unconditional love. I am so thankful for you Sterling. You have brought us unspeakable joy and we love you very much! Happy Birthday!

"No matter how little money and how few possesions you own, having a dog makes you rich." - Louis Sabin

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies." - Gene Hill

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion." – Unknown

"The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. . . .He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounter with the roughness of the world. . . .When all other friends desert, he remains." - George G Vest

"He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.) When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself. He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant. His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever - in case I need him. And I expect I will - as I always have. He is just my dog." - Gene Hill