Happy Birthday, Magnum!!

It's hard to believe that 10 years ago, our little Magnum's Platinum Run came into the world.  I can only imagine how sweet and precious he looked as a puppy.  Sadly, we were not is first set of parents.  In fact, we weren't his second set either.  It seems that three is Magnum's magic number {for a couple reasons} as we are his third and final set of owners.

As I have mentioned before, we sort of rescued Magnum from our friend Jill who had a lot on her plate after losing just about everything during Hurricane Katrina and had a new baby and dog to boot.  I met Magnum shortly after I met Jill and fell head over heels for him.  I used to borrow him for weekend sleepovers and day trips to my school.  When David met him, he was equally enamored and I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual.  Magnum has pretty much been our constant companion and has been on almost every trip that we've taken.  He loves to go for rides -- in fact, just asking him if he wants to go is the easiest way to get him to pose for pictures.  He may not be the perfect dog; he definitely has his quirks.  He gets overly excited around other dogs, he is a finicky little eater, and has an uncanny habit of breaking his leg, but his ability to cuddle up in our laps and love us unconditionally {even when we bring a tiny little human into the mix} makes him the perfect dog for us.

I thought it would be nice to let Magnum's former owner say a few words about him as well...so, let me turn the mic over to Jill for a few:
Several years ago I adopted a beautiful blue or fawn (I know David and Amanda like to argue this point) Italian Greyhound.  At the time he had what I was told was a sore on his leg but several hundred dollars, some steel screws and a metal plate later, we realized his body was actually rejecting the hardware from a surgery he had gotten as a pup.  Apparently Iggys think they can fly as puppies and this one didn't get the memo that his bones were practically hollow and not unlike pretzel sticks. Mmmmmm pretzels.

Anyway, he was beautiful, neurotic, and had a burning passion to ummmm shall we say "dominate" any other dog he came into contact with.  My young marriage was provided hours of entertainment watching Magnum and my pomeranian Fairway play together, their personalities couldn't have been more opposite.  My husband Jeremy would play National Geographic narrarator as the hungry lion (our cat, Richard Parker) would silently hunt the unsuspecting gazelle (Magnum).  No one needed a heating blanket when Magnum was under the covers and we would joke about the "All seeing eye" that could always be seen poking out from under a pile of blankets.

Amanda and David fell in love with Magnum and as my family grew to include babies and more (and BIGGER) dogs, I realized that Magnum was not unlike a celebrity and would probably flourish in an enviornment where he was the only child...er celebrity.  Plus I think they always loved him more than I did.  So I handed over the leash and have never regretted my decision because I know they have given him a loving home and spoiled him rotten (just like he likes it).  Although I think he misses wearing pink, just sayin.

Thanks, Jill.  I'll try to get a pink sweater for him once we get back home.

I put together a few pictures of Magnum for his little birthday slideshow.  Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Magnum from Amanda Michelson on Vimeo.

Happy Magnum's Birthday from the Central Coast!