Enter Comet

We brought Comet home on December 23, a few weeks after Target turned 1.

They were true blood brothers, with the same parents, but their personalities couldn't be more different. I didn't realize the luxuries involved with having a deaf puppy until I was faced with the, very real, reality of bringing home hearing puppy.

Even though he was deaf, Target was always the most independent puppy.  He wanted to check things out for himself, go exploring and had no issues being away from us. 

Comet would send himself into a tizzy if he couldn't see us, had to be convinced that the broom wouldn't eat him and screamed all... the... time. 

A major difference between the two was, also,  that Target wasn't big on affection until he got older.  He had a very dignified "ok, you may now pet me", demeanor when it came to affection and picking him up was a complete no fly zone after he exceeded 20lbs.  Whereas, little eight week old Comet would snuggle right into your neck and fall asleep. Once again,  releasing the puppy storm if anybody ever disturbed him or put him down before he was ready.

I sang Christmas songs to Comet to try and calm him down.  He was a Christmas puppy after all, named after one of Santa's reindeer (not the dog from Full House or the toilet bowl cleaner.  You'd be surprised at how many times I've had to make that distinction). The music would settle him down,  but doing that as a puppy ensured that as a grown up dog,  every time Sara Mclachlan's "River" would play around Christmas time,  I'd have a 40-50 pound dog trying to cram his way onto my lap for snuggle time.

Both of our dogs were sensitive. Target, to light, movement and change. He was always on watch for the next thing coming,  more serious than any dog should be. Comet was sensitive to us. If we had a bad day,  an illness or were sad for any reason Comet would find us first, which eventually earned him the nickname "The Sad Detector". My sadness could, more often than not, be turned into laughter when I'd be crying,  Comet stealthily approaching for hugs, and my boyfriend narrating:

"Uh oh! The Sad Detector has detected some sadness! Beep (like a metal detector), beep, beep, beeeeeep".

Target never took issue to Comet. The first day they met was when Comet was a week old and looked more like a guinea pig than a puppy. Target took one look at Comet shuffling towards him curiously and ran for his life. But as time went on and Comet became more dog and less guinea pig,  Target began to see value in his little brother.

When he was younger Target could impart on Comet the wisdom of things like, "how to patrol the backyard for things to bark at" or "this is how we sleep through fireworks" (thank you Target!)

When he got older, Comet, became the robber in their daily games of Cops and Robbers and Comet's face was the perfect texture for chewing.

They were brothers with vastly different personalities,  so there was the odd tussle or two. But not long after mostly simulated ugliness it was common that I'd find them curled up in a black, white and merle ball on the floor, their animosity over almost as quickly as it started.