Sephi, short for Persephone (Per-sef-ony), was born around the beginning of April 2001. She became my dog in June of 2001 when she was about 8 weeks old. I got her from someone who’s dog had puppies. The mother was lab and shepherd mix (unknown what breed the father was). But as Sephi grew older, it was obvious that she was part chow. Her body build is short and stocky like a chow and she has the cutest black spots on her tongue. She has a little bit of white on her feet and other traits which seem to hint that Sephi may also be part border collie.

Sephi has always been about play. She would always bring me toys. And if I ignored her, she would bring me more toys. Eventually, there would be a whole bunch of toys at my feet. Sometimes in the morning, I would wake up with all the toys Sephi had brought me when I was asleep. And if I was ever feeling bad, Sephi would give me one of her toys.

Sephi was rather easy to train. However, from about age 1 to 2 she had a major chewing problem. I had never crate-trained her so I would often come home to find something chewed up. She got over it after 2 years of age. And ever since then she has been the most well-behaved dog in every aspect. Everyone compliments her on her manners and her good behavior. She doesn’t jump on people. She doesn’t lick. She sits and stays when she is told. She doesn’t pull on the leash. I could go on and on.

Sephi is also a good guard dog. We live in an apartment. Somehow, she knows not to bark at people when she is outside in the courtyard or not to bother the maintenance man when he comes to fix something when I am not home. So what makes Sephi a good guard dog? She may not make an issue if someone comes by when I am not home, but she does get rather upset when someone comes to my door when I am home. I have had strangers try to come into my apartment when I was home and if it wasn’t for Sephi, I might have been in danger. I lock my door most of the time but once in a while, I forget. Just recently when I forgot to lock my door someone actually opened my apartment door to come inside. Luckly, Sephi scared them off. Isn’t she great? What a good dog!

Maya was born around the end of August 2007. She became my dog just after Thanksgiving 2007. Maya was adopted from a humane society by a woman on November 17, 2007. Exactly one week later, the woman decided that she could not handle the responsibility of a puppy so decided to find a new home for her. I was the lucky new owner. Maya is most likely a purebred yellow lab. At only three months old she was already 17 pounds. Within a couple of weeks, she was over 25 pounds. She is going to be a big girl!

I have been wanting another dog for some time. My apartments allow a resident to own up to two pets with no weight limit. I work from home and my health condition requires that I get plenty of exercise every day. So another dog, even another big dog, would not be a problem for me or Maya. I had no doubt that she would be perfectly happy here.

At first Sephi did not like Maya, but after a couple of weeks, they get along very well. They wrestle and play tug-of-war all the time. Maya and I also play but as a retriever, she is not yet very good at retrieving. She almost never brings the toy back but plays with it by herself instead. As a puppy, Maya likes to chew so she is always entertaining herself by chewing on one of her toys (and sometimes other things she is not supposed to have.)

Unlike Sephi, Maya is crate-trained. She took to the crate very well and only goes in there at night or when I am not home. She whined a little the first few times she was put in the crate but she doesn’t anymore. Maya has also learned how to sit and stay. She learned very quickly and probably by watching Sephi. I can’t train Maya without Sephi also wanting to participate so Maya tends to do whatever Sephi does. They are a great pair.

I love my dogs very much. They are great companions. Maya is the lover and Sephi is the entertainer. Whenever I am feeling down they always cheer me up. I don’t know what I would do without them. If you have ever heard that people with pets live longer and happier lives, I can testify that they definitely have helped me live a happier life.