{January 26, 2011}

Lexi (a.k.a. "Big Dog," a.k.a. "Lexi-Meister," a.k.a. "Fluff Dog," a.k.a. "Lexi-con") does not like having her picture taken for some reason. Usually she won't look at me and acts as if she's incredibly unimpressed with it all. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that whenever I show any attention to Lexi, Kya does whatever she can to get me to look at her. Definitely some big sister/little sister drama going on there. Lexi came to us when her original owner needed to re-home her and asked if we would be interested in taking her in. Although we knew we wanted at least two dogs, we were still getting over the loss of Toli and dealing with a new puppy (Kya) in the house. However, after much discussion we decided that it would be nice to expand the family and agreed to take her in. Plus, the fact that Lexi is Kya's half-sister (they share the same dad) and was also Toli's half-sister (they share/shared the same mom) made it feel like kismet. At the time Lexi was two and although the car ride home seemed like a great adventure to her (even with her new little sister biting her much of the way home), as soon as we arrived at our house and let her outside to go potty, Lexi got really, really scared. This was not the home she was used to, and although the "new people" seemed nice, they weren't "her people." She stood in the dark yard searching for anything recognizable, for her people to come get her, something...anything. After much coaxing, whining, tears, and broken hearts, we convinced her to come inside and over time she settled in. That was over five years ago. Now at the "ripe old age" of seven, Lexi is truly a member of the family. She has never met a person, or animal, she hasn't liked and does not understand the meaning of "personal space." She wants to be your friend, up close and personal, to the point of jumping up to get a better look--something we've been trying ever since we got her to break her of...to no avail. Lexi adores my dad and we joke that she'd probably gladly go home to live with him forever if he let her (if for nothing more than to escape Kya). Her disposition is super sweet and very mothering. When we got the guinea keets, and later the chicks, she would sit over their brooder whining softly at their peeps. Gently she'd nuzzle them, never trying to bite, just wanting to be sure they were all "okay." Even now with the ferrets she is ever the mother hen. It's a shame her hips did not pass thus taking away her chances at becoming a mom--I think she would have been an amazing one. She is the quintessential Chinook in that she has the large head, nice bone structure, solid build, fluffy tail, and beautiful coloring. People always remark how gorgeous Lexi is and you can see her beam with their compliments. Sometimes Lexi will do things that makes us all shake our heads, but she always brings a smile to our faces. I can't imagine not having her be a part of our family and although I'm sure she misses her first owner and two kids, I can only hope that we've made her very happy since she came to us.

On to the pic...{click to view full size}