Happy Anniversary Alice!

Today marks our seventh year with Alice “The Palace” Purcell. You could say Alice had us at hello (if hello in dog-speak is a “warning bark”). We went to the Aussie Rescue and Placement Helpline‘s foster home to meet Alice, shortly after our best girl Autumn (our first Aussie) passed away. Dave and I couldn’t handle being in a dogless house for very long so we started checking out the Helpline every few days. Alice’s Aussie smile and her story about recovering from recent surgery for hip dysplasia captured our hearts instantly.

Before the foster parents introduced us to her, they paraded several other dogs in front of us. Oh, look at Yogi – he’s so cute! Or how about this puppy? Or maybe this or that Aussie, did you happen to seem them online? The other dogs were great but we were there to see Alice. Reluctantly, the foster parents opened the door to their laundry room and warned us that Alice could only bunny-hop due to the surgery. “She may never walk normally,” they said.

Alice hopped out, stopped, turned her head as if she were on stage, and gave a warning bark. Just two quick barks to let us know, “yeah, I’m here and I’m checking YOU out, not vice versa thankyouverymuch.”

Alice had all kinds of moxy and personality, and it was evident from the get-go. We also got the feeling that her foster parents thought she was extra special and weren’t looking forward to saying goodbye to her. When we returned to pick her up on January 25, the foster mom asked us several times if we were sure we wanted to take her on, you know, because of her hips and all. Alice was in the kitchen with her, scamming some peanut butter. Along with many instructions we received to get her through her recovery from surgery, her foster mom also told us that “Alice is very manipulative.” This factoid is written down in her original paperwork.

No problemo – we understand Aussie manipulation. And double no problemo on the hips. We wanted her. That was all there was to it.

All dog owners will tell you that their dog is truly unique. We’re no different. Alice may be the most unique dog we’ve ever encountered. Macy has many traits of our first Aussie, Autumn. But Alice? She is one of a kind. She’s the only dog we’ve ever encountered with such a vast vocabulary.  Not only does she know single words, she knows strings of words such as “should we”, “do you think we should”, and “what time is it?”. Believe me, it can make conversations impossible sometimes. She has impeccable comic timing — in fact, she knows the command “put on a show”, which entails rolling around, smiling and generally being a ham. Speaking of being a ham, she enjoys a spontaneous photoshoot and always smiles for the camera. She’s also the only dog I’ve ever seen eat from a spoon like a person and the word “chatty” is an understatement. Her warning bark has increased in both volume and in usage. She “talks” through a lot of her daily routines and we’ve decided not to curb her enthusiasm all that much. We’re pretty sure that — if she could talk — she’d curse like a sailor. And we’re also convinced that she is the happiest dog on the planet.

I could go on, obviously. But the best thing about Alice is her tenacity. Girlfriend had both legs operated on and there was a chance she’d never walk like a normal dog again. Less than two months after surgery, she took her first regular steps while Dave was walking her down Wilson Road in our old neighborhood in Newport, KY. Eventually Alice perfected her “swagger.” We call it her Jennifer Lo-paws walk (as in Jennifer Lopez) because her bottom sashays from side to side in a very saucy, I-rule-this-place kind of way. And even though Macy is the more athletic of the two, Alice holds her own at the dog park and in tennis ball throwing matches.

We’re incredibly lucky that tough girl Alice chose us that day. She brings us laughter and comedy on a daily basis. And a ton of love. She’s Macy’s best pal. She’s Dave’s bestest buddy (yes, a Buddy of the Highest Order), and she’s my super girlfriend. As Alice would say, pretty fucking sweet!