This is Olive.
Olive is the oh-so-sweet Bernese Mountain Dog who joined our pack almost two years ago. If you’re asking yourself why a person would decide to get a third dog, you’re not alone. Our family thought we were nuts when we told them. (We may have been.) But the truth is that we had an energetic Golden Retriever pup and a Puggle who was settling into adulthood, and there was just something missing. On a wine tasting trip to northern Michigan, a couple of persuasive friends helped us make the decision to find a Berner. I like to jokingly blame the wine, but the truth is that my husband and I simply are dog people. Fortunately and unfortunately, we only have so much room. Otherwise we’d probably have ten. Anyway, our search for our new pup was brief. After about a week, we met Olive and shortly thereafter, she was home.
If you know anything about this breed, much of her personality fits the mold. She’s the sweetest little tank you’ll ever meet. In one instant she’ll be bounding around the yard and in the next, laying at your feet. She’s incredibly loyal. She has a loud, deep, intimidating bark which she uses when anyone comes around. The second said person approaches her, she runs and hides. She doesn’t know her size, which is made clear by the fact that our twenty pound Puggle bosses her around. Olive aims to please. I can think of two occasions when our dogs have gotten loose. While the other two ran off to cause trouble, Olive came right to the front porch, sat down and waited. She’s just a doll.
Today, Olive turned two years old. While our day-to-day has certainly changed since the baby arrived, we still like to make a point to spoil our furballs. Today was Olive’s day. The baby and I got all bundled up and took Olive for a long walk through the woods.
There is no present more appreciated by a Berner than snow. Ok, there’s one contender–food. And so, I baked this cute, little grain-free cake that all three dogs devoured. I’ve never done anything like this before, but found an easy recipe online and just Snickled it up a little with the decoration. (Yes, we use my nickname as a verb around here.)
Well, now you know the truth. We are a family who celebrates dog birthdays. We buy presents, bake cakes and plan special activities. These dogs give us so much love every single day. The least we can do is give them each a special day.
Happy Birthday, Olive.
Snickled Pink 
