I know many people have a perception that pets belong outside. But to me, they become part of the family. I’ve always had pets during my 24 years of living. It started with fish and turtles, then progressed to a rabbit, dogs, and even a cat that lived to be 18 years old! If there is anything I learned from them, it’s that each has an unique personality. My current dog Ava has the biggest one so far, and it often makes me wonder if she believes she’s a person. Let me tell you about her.

When I first brought her home, I was spitting around name ideas and couldn’t decide what would suit such a big dog. Normally I am not a fan of dogs having human names so I was toying around with options but I couldn’t get the name Ava out of my head. I said it out loud and she looked at me. When I mentioned the other names she was unresponsive but every time I said Ava she would react. That’s when I knew she chose that name.

She can be shy, especially around other dogs. I think she doesn’t realize her size. She jumps around to play with the small dogs but becomes timid around the bigger ones. Which is silly because she’s usually the biggest dog around as she’s a 120lb Rottweiler.

Playing jokes on you is her favorite hobby. One day I stepped outside and she jumped on the front door to lock me out, then ran and jumped on the back door to unlock it to let me back in. Sounds unbelievable right? Well, there’s more – 20 minutes later she ran out the door but when I didn’t go looking for her, within 5 minutes I heard her panting her way down the walkway before she knocked to come inside. All I could do was laugh at how unbelievable she is.

Monkey see, monkey do. Check out the picture above where she thought she could drive as a puppy. My hand was on the wheel, so hers had to be too. Even now 2 years later, she tries to get in the drivers seat.

She’s proof that some dogs enjoy being domesticated. I like to sit on the dock with the baby and just take in the sun and scenery. She on the other hand is not a fan. Within two minutes she’s waiting at the door to go inside with the air conditioning.

I swear some days it feels like I have two children because she and my son have issues with sharing their toys. He gets upset when Ava gets too close to his walker while Ava is willing to share her toys to an extent. She gets jealous and gently takes them back when she feels he has been using them for too long, or she will steal his and hide in a corner and chew them to pieces.

Ever heard of an aggressive cuddler? Me either until this dog came home with me. When she feels she hasn’t gotten enough attention that day, she stands on the couch and aggressively barks until I tackle her down and hold her for 5 minutes. The whole time she smiles with her tongue out with her facial expression reading, “Ahaha! I provoked her and got hugged!”

And somehow she’s invincible! She once ate a piece of glass the size of a quarter. I was convinced she was going to die since I’ve heard a few stories about dogs passing from eating sharp objects. There was nothing we could do at this point because the glass was clear and wouldn’t be able to be seen on the ultrasound to confirm and remove it.
The next day she pooped it out, showing no symptoms other than a little jump when the glass pricked her butt.

When you bring a dog home, you never really know what to expect. The day I went to pick out the puppy I wanted her siblings went to play while she walked up to me, sat down and waited to be held. From then I knew she chose me. At the time I didn’t know why but as I’ve gotten to know her, I realize she is much like myself. There are days when she drives me insane but my home would be very incomplete without her. There is never a dull moment.