BFFs

Nora is seriously in love with Tessa.

I guess this was actually established a long time ago, considering how “Tessa” was Nora’s first word.

But I can’t get over how much my girl loves our dog. Nora has even given her a special nickname—Tessie. And she will say over and over again “MY dog Tessie” and “Tessie MY dog!” She randomly gives Tessa hugs and kisses. She’ll demand, “Tessie, play with me!” and when she’s feeling whiny, will even request that Tessie be the one to take her to the bathroom to go potty. :)

They have a special relationship, these two.

I cannot say enough good things about Tessa and how she handles all of the attention from Nora. We had a rough start with Tessa when we brought Nora home from the hospital, and then things got way better. But then Nora became mobile and as Nora officially “towered over” Tessa, she became intimidated again. We had a few incidences between maybe 15 months and 18 months when Tessa actually nipped at Nora’s hair. It would always come when Nora was “threatening” Tessa in some way… accidentally falling on top of her, or when Nora tried to sit in my lap when Tessa was already there. Nevertheless, it was a little scary. I didn’t think she would ever actually BITE Nora, but then again, you can never truly trust dogs and their animal instincts.

But somehow, that all melted away. We’ve taught Nora to be gentle and cautious with the way she approaches Tessa. And Tessa has learned that Nora is not a threat. What we have left is a girl who absolutely adores this doggie. And a dog who doesn’t seem to mind all of the attention from this girl.

In fact, I’d say Tessa—most of the time—eats it up. Last weekend, we were outside playing, gardening, etc. when I heard Nora say, “Okaaaaaaay, I’ll pet your belly!” I looked over to see Tessa lying on the ground in the sunshine at Nora’s feet, turned over onto her back. This is Tessa’s way of begging for belly rubs, and her favorite place for them—in the sunshine. And not only was she begging Nora, but Nora knew exactly what Tessa’s gesture meant!

We often jokingly say that it’s a good thing that Nora loves Tessa so much, because otherwise, she’d be long gone (because she can be such a pain in the ass). It’s totally not true, of course, but still… the meaning behind it is telling. Before Nora, we used to joke that the reason Tessa stuck around was because she was so cute. Now? Nope, it’s about Nora. :)

I know dogs—or any pets—are not for everyone, but I’m so glad that my Nora has her Tessie.