Our First Baby

In 1998, the first Christmas after Joe and I were married we decided that our gift to each other would be to get a puppy. It was not the most well-thought out plan. On the contrary, our friends were getting a Rottweiler mix puppy from a family in the neighborhood who had bred their two dogs, we went to visit the litter with them and instantly fell in love with the male runt. And that is how Utah came into our lives, officially becoming our first “baby”.

Here he is at 5 weeks old, when we first brought him home:

And a little older at what I consider his cutest:

It was less than a month later when Joe came home from work one day and solemnly informed me that when he graduated from his tech school in 29 Palms, that his first duty station would be Okinawa, Japan. It was my worst fear come true. Here we were, married less than 6 months and now he would be going overseas, necessitating that we spend an entire year apart. I was beside myself. Furthermore, here I was, never having owned a dog in my life with a rottweiler pup, a breed that is known to be stubborn and overly protective. So after all the preparations and tears, one of the first things I did after Joe left for Okinawa was to enroll Utah in a dog obedience course. It was during this time that Utah and I truly bonded and the point, according to Joe, where I turned him into a total softie.

For those of you who don’t know the whole story, after spending 4 months apart, through some really great people (love you Jeff and Mindee!) we found a way for me to join Joe in Okinawa for the rest of his year stationed there. I had NEVER flown before and was actually quite nervous too so here I was getting ready to get on a plane for the first time that would take me all the way to Tai Pai connecting to Okinawa and yes, my baby Utah (at the time 7 months old and already at least 75 pounds) took the long flight with me. I will NEVER forget the look of sheer relief on Utah’s face when we finally got to Okinawa and found some grass for him to pee on, a task that seemed to carry on for 5 minutes straight. It was sheer comedy. Utah became quite the celebrity while we were in Okinawa. The Japanese locals did not generally have pets and if they did happen to have a dog, they certainly were not the size of a dog like Utah. Several times we were actually asked to photograph the nationals with him. On base, Utah was able to entertain and cheer up Marines, many of whom were quite homesick for America and their families.

Utah really does have the best temperament. He is sweet, playful and likes to snuggle. He is extremely social with other people, kids and other animals but he can be intimidating if you happen to be on the other side of our fence, pacing and barking back and forth. However, in the end Utah literally wouldn’t hurt a fly. I remember one time when I came home to find a mouse just outside the garage. Hoping that Utah would take care of it, I steered him over to where the mouse was. Utah approached the mouse, sniffed it and then proceeded to give it a big kiss. Twice he was attacked by loose dogs much smaller and weaker than him and Utah ended up injured because he refused to really fight back. Utah is also immensely entertaining. Whether he is hiking his Frisbee underneath him or singing (yes he sings) to his favorite Led Zeppelin tune. Dazed and Confused in case you were wondering. His safety zone is to push his way between your legs and then dance his back legs as you pet his bum. And you can't forget how he cocks his head back and forth while you talk to him. It's as if he understands. Utah has been the most wonderful and amazing dog in the world.

We didn’t know much about rottweilers when we got Utah but from a very early age, he would exhibit intermittent periods of lameness and we soon learned that rotties are prone to a host of orthopedic problems from hip and elbow dysplasia to bad knees. Unfortunately, Utah has all 3. We appropriately nicknamed him our “orthopedic nightmare”. In 2002 at the age of 4, he underwent a TPLO procedure to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee caused by his hip dysplasia. This is an advanced procedure that at the time was typically only done on working and show dogs and must be preformed by a vet with specialty training. It was VERY pricey. However, Utah was still so young we decided to give him the best chance for a full and active life. Unfortunately, as is common with this type of injury, it was about 2 years later in 2004, when I was 7 months pregnant with Jake that Utah blew out his other knee, necessitating yet another expensive surgery. It was at this point when Utah acquired yet another nickname, “the million dollar dog”.

Here is recovering from the first surgery with his morphine patch attached to his hip:



So why I am telling you all this? Well, first of all you can relax. There is nothing wrong with Utah. Sure he is so stiff from arthritis it takes him several minutes to stand back up after sitting and he runs like a toy soldier. Sure he has several lipomas, one near his kneecap that is approaching the size of a softball. Sure, he occasionally has accidents in the house because he is too sore and lazy to go outside and take care of business. But Utah has accomplished something amazing. This last week (November 21 to be exact) marks Utah’s 11^th birthday. Despite being an “orthopedic nightmare” and having an expected lifespan of only 8-10 years, Utah has had the long, active and full life that we always wanted for him. He has traveled overseas and back and been with us through the birth of both children and the addition of another dog (Nago whom we got while in Okinawa) and several cats (Skittles RIP, Jazz and Mambo). He is and always will be our first “baby”.

Hanging out with Nago:

Hanging out with Jake:

In his prime (6 years old):



Last winter, all gray and covered in snow:

And I know that this winter is going to be hard on Utah. I know that our time left with our companion is becoming increasingly limited but for now, I would just like to smile on the good fortune that we have had such a wonderful dog and celebrate the 11 years we have had with him.