Playing favorites?

Possum is my favorite dog because her and I connect and we just know what each other are thinking. Brownie and Cuddles I still absolutely love but they just don't have what Possum and I have.

I don't think of it as playing favorites. Both of my dogs are so different. Cadie is more independent, less affectionate, more reserve and likes attention on her terms. Sometimes if you sit next to her on the couch and pet her, she'll get up and go somewhere else. It's just how she is - she doesn't need or want attention a lot. Riley, OTOH, is the complete opposite. He loves attention all the time and is always happy to be with me. I've only had him since the end of April last year and our bond is so deep. When I just had Cadie, if I was upset and crying and snuggled with her, sometimes she'd let me - other times she'd leave. Riley always stays. He gets it, as weird as that might sound. Cadie doesn't rely on me. Riley needs me and I need him, too. That's how the relationships are different - Cadie is a beloved friend, Riley is a part of me. Hopefully that doesn't sound strange - I just mean he's such a big part of my life.

I remember when I first adopted him, he was around 3 months old. One day I got in argument with my parents and went to the bathroom crying. The door was cracked and a minute later it nudged open. In walked the puppy I had known for a few days, wagging his tail and reaching to lick my face. Cadie isn't like that.

So, from the very beginning, there's just been a bond wth Riley that dififerent than the one I share with Cadie. Like AuoraLove said about Rory, Riley knows me.

 Tootsie, is my heart. She knows and understands me. She has also been there for me during some rough patches. I can't imagine life without her and just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomache. I would have never chosen her, breedwise, but I'm so glad I did.

 My Pint was my Heart Dog.  I didnt love her more than I love Crusher or Onyx for that matter.  But she was the one that would curl up in the middle of the living room floor with me during a scary movie.  She was the one that would lay in the field with me and contemplate life.  She was the one that looked to me for protection from my beast of a BIL.  She was my intro to dogs. 

Crusher is the one I'm proud of.  He's the one I love to walk because we get so many comments.  He's the one that I'm responsible for because I'm the only one that really knows him.  And so he holds a special spot.  Oddly enough he really moved into that spot after his "incedent".

And Onyx.  What can I say about Onyx?  She's special.  In that helmet wearing, short bus riding kind of way.  You know, so completely innocent that nothing will ever be held against her kind of way?  In a way, I know exactly what I can expect from her, in that I can't expect anything from her.  As long as I know that, I can love her no matter what.  Its a freeing kind of love.  Sometimes I think maybe there's more to her, and then she catches the cupboard door handle again.  

 Not sure it is reasonable for me to answer this as I only have one dog - but I will

I had never heard the term 'heart dog' until here but once I understood it I knew that Bugsy is the dog that will forever hold a special place in my soul.  Some might say it is sad but Bugs is my best buddy ever - we completely relate.  Within a week of adopting him DH said, "my doG I adopted the canine version of you"  A great compliment.  And since then friends and family meet him and say he is SO your dog.  I'm not eloquent enough to express my feelings for him or for that matter the feeling I have WITH him.

I would love to add another dog to our home but so far DH is against it.  I am sure if we decide to add another dog I will love it tremendously but I sincerely doubt that I could feel the same as I feel with Bugs.  Our energy and our life philosophy is too closely matched.  I think that is a once in a lifetime