So part of my job is to handle New Artist inquiries. Basically any new artists interested in working with us I get to talk to. This means that I talk to all kinds of people. Let me tell you… from mass manufacturers in China to the small real deal artist who works on textiles in a small remote village in Peru. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and denominations.
The other day I am sitting at my desk answering emails when the phone rings. I answer as I usually do saying, ‘This is Marissa how can I help you?’ On the other side of the phone is a woman’s voice. She says, ‘Uh hi, who is this?’ Again, I say ‘This is Marissa, how can I help you?’ Girl on the phone says, ‘Hi Marissa (she pronounces it MA-REE-SAW) is this you?’ Again I say, yes this is Marissa (side note… I usually pronounce my name in Spanish so I say Ma-Ree-Zah but I am also open to Ma-Rih-Suh if need be).
So GOTP (Girl on the Phone) sounds a little confused when she says ‘Marissa?’ Again I am thinking WTF? But as polite as I can be I say, ‘yes this is she how can I help you? The next part of our conversation went like this:
GOTP: Wow, um, can I ask you a question?
Usually this question is followed by a series of questions involving how we work with artists, the art that they create, where they live and whether or not we can help them. This time however the conversation took a little detour…
GOTP: I don’t understand.
ME: Yes?
GOTP: Where’s your accent?
ME: Excuse me?
GOTP: Well you said your name is Marissa (Ma-REE-Saw) and I am wondering why you don’t have an accent.
ME: (I think… WTF? but I say..) Why would I have an accent?
GOTP: Well you speak Spanish don’t you?
ME: Yes I do.
GOTP: Well how did you lose your accent?
At this point I have a decision to make… I can either go off on her about being born here and being bilingual or I can be nice and explain to her how it is that I do not have an accent. Alternately, I can tell her that it took years of extensive and expensive speech therapy to rid myself of the god forsaken Spanish Accent. So I think for a second and my hunch is that she is authentically confused. Of course, I will be more than happy to unconfusle her. So I take a deep breath and I say:
ME: Well, actually, I was born and raised here in Los Angeles. My parents emigrated here from Mexico. Spanish was my first language and I learned English when I went to school at about 5 years old. Usually if a language is learned before the age of ten you can pretty much be fluent in it and not necessarily have an accent.
GOTP: Wow, I’ve never met anyone like you.
ME: Well there are actually a lot of us (bilingual folk) here. Some of us speak more than two languages too.
GOTP: Really?
ME: Yes.
GOTP: So, you’ve never had an accent?
ME: (I think… Lord... what is this girl’s obsession with accents!) I say… as far as I can remember I did not ever have an accent. But I speak French and I know I have an accent when I speak it.
GOTP: Wow so you speak French too?
ME: (I think… why did I tell her that????) I say… yes I studied it in High School and College.
GOTP: Wow. That’s great.
By now, about fifteen minutes have passed. So I say...
ME: Thanks…. So how can I help you?
GOTP: Uh yes… I use to work with the Peace Corps and I know some artists in Peru that I think you should work with….
A smile grows on my face knowing that I made the right choice. She’s just a young person authentically confused by the fact that I have a Spanish surname but I don’t have the accent that she expects. I take her information down and find out she lives in the Midwest and would like to set us up with some artists in Peru. I thank her for calling and hope that in some small way I changed the way she thought because in those brief moments she changed my view of the world as well.
mmunoz 2/17/07
Feb 24, 2011
Feb 23, 2011
The only person you can change is Yourself...
I wrote this in 2006. I ran across it today and realize that five years ago I was making a lot of sense! :)
The only person you can change is Yourself…
My closest friends know that I’ve been on this journey of self-discovery and of trying to improve my outlook on life. As part of this journey, I started reading anything I could get my hands on that would aid me on my quest. It’s been a mixture of self-help, spiritual, and personal memoir books that have had the biggest influence. I’ve always been that girl that would come to your rescue and try to make the pain go away. I would be your biggest fan and cheerleader if that is what I thought you needed to feel better. I wouldn’t do it because I was stroking your ego, I would do it because I do believe that sometimes people on the outside can see your strengths better than you can. The advice that I give always comes from the heart and is me authentically trying to help you in the best way I know how.
However, I find that the more I read the more I discover that I can’t really help people if I keep coming to their rescue. Sure, you could do it a few times to help people get out of whatever mess they find themselves in at that particular moment but if you find that your friend is in the same situation over and over again you aren’t really helping them anymore. At some point, the person has got to realize that there is a reason why they keep ending up in the same situation. Although I can’t fix your problems for you I can tell you some of the things I’ve learned from ending up in the same situation time and again.
If you find yourself in the same rut (whether it be a financial, a relationship, or a spiritual crisis) then it’s because you haven’t learned the lesson. In life, no matter what you are doing there is always something to be learned. If you keep doing the same things and wonder why nothing has changed it’s because you keep doing the same things. Try something different. You have nothing to lose by trying it. It’s kind of like that movie Ground Hog Day where the same day kept repeating only this isn’t the movies it’s your life.
If you feel resentment and ill feelings towards people then my advice to you is that you should pray for them and their well-being. Now don’t freak out that I said the word prayer. I may not be religious but I do pray every night before I go to sleep. I was raised Catholic so I do pray to God but you could pray to whatever deity you find yourself spiritually connected to. Sometimes it isn’t even a prayer but a conversation that I have where I share my thoughts with God.
Through this process I’ve learned that if you do feel resentment and ill feelings towards another individual it’s usually because there is something that I need to work on. The fact of the matter is that resentment stems from envy. And envy shows its face in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it could be a simple critique of someone that stops me in my tracks because I realize that the only reason I am criticizing another person is to somehow make myself feel better. It’s basically a red light indicating to me that this is what I need to work on next.
Sometimes the simple act of just accepting the situation you are in makes you feel better. If you keep saying I don’t think it’s ever going to get better then it won’t. You have to believe that it will get better and you have to put your energy and take action into making it better for yourself. No one can make it better for you.
There are times that I feel criticized by individuals that I consider my closest friends. There are times that I am around people that are very negative and I can honestly say not one positive thing comes from their mouth. There are times when I find myself wanting to go and rescue the friend that is in despair because they can’t see that they put themselves in the situation they are in once again.
The rescuer in me wants to help you but I’ve learned that sometimes to truly help a person you have to let go and let the situation run its course. Let go and let God. Sometimes it means that I have to take care of myself and not help you. Sometimes the cheerleader needs someone to cheer for them. All relationships are about give and take and evolve and change throughout your life.
In life, I’ve learned that sometimes you may not always get what you want but you get exactly what you need at the time. You just have to learn to say Thank You no matter what you receive.
The only person you can change is Yourself…
My closest friends know that I’ve been on this journey of self-discovery and of trying to improve my outlook on life. As part of this journey, I started reading anything I could get my hands on that would aid me on my quest. It’s been a mixture of self-help, spiritual, and personal memoir books that have had the biggest influence. I’ve always been that girl that would come to your rescue and try to make the pain go away. I would be your biggest fan and cheerleader if that is what I thought you needed to feel better. I wouldn’t do it because I was stroking your ego, I would do it because I do believe that sometimes people on the outside can see your strengths better than you can. The advice that I give always comes from the heart and is me authentically trying to help you in the best way I know how.
However, I find that the more I read the more I discover that I can’t really help people if I keep coming to their rescue. Sure, you could do it a few times to help people get out of whatever mess they find themselves in at that particular moment but if you find that your friend is in the same situation over and over again you aren’t really helping them anymore. At some point, the person has got to realize that there is a reason why they keep ending up in the same situation. Although I can’t fix your problems for you I can tell you some of the things I’ve learned from ending up in the same situation time and again.
If you find yourself in the same rut (whether it be a financial, a relationship, or a spiritual crisis) then it’s because you haven’t learned the lesson. In life, no matter what you are doing there is always something to be learned. If you keep doing the same things and wonder why nothing has changed it’s because you keep doing the same things. Try something different. You have nothing to lose by trying it. It’s kind of like that movie Ground Hog Day where the same day kept repeating only this isn’t the movies it’s your life.
If you feel resentment and ill feelings towards people then my advice to you is that you should pray for them and their well-being. Now don’t freak out that I said the word prayer. I may not be religious but I do pray every night before I go to sleep. I was raised Catholic so I do pray to God but you could pray to whatever deity you find yourself spiritually connected to. Sometimes it isn’t even a prayer but a conversation that I have where I share my thoughts with God.
Through this process I’ve learned that if you do feel resentment and ill feelings towards another individual it’s usually because there is something that I need to work on. The fact of the matter is that resentment stems from envy. And envy shows its face in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it could be a simple critique of someone that stops me in my tracks because I realize that the only reason I am criticizing another person is to somehow make myself feel better. It’s basically a red light indicating to me that this is what I need to work on next.
Sometimes the simple act of just accepting the situation you are in makes you feel better. If you keep saying I don’t think it’s ever going to get better then it won’t. You have to believe that it will get better and you have to put your energy and take action into making it better for yourself. No one can make it better for you.
There are times that I feel criticized by individuals that I consider my closest friends. There are times that I am around people that are very negative and I can honestly say not one positive thing comes from their mouth. There are times when I find myself wanting to go and rescue the friend that is in despair because they can’t see that they put themselves in the situation they are in once again.
The rescuer in me wants to help you but I’ve learned that sometimes to truly help a person you have to let go and let the situation run its course. Let go and let God. Sometimes it means that I have to take care of myself and not help you. Sometimes the cheerleader needs someone to cheer for them. All relationships are about give and take and evolve and change throughout your life.
In life, I’ve learned that sometimes you may not always get what you want but you get exactly what you need at the time. You just have to learn to say Thank You no matter what you receive.
Oct 30, 2009
The World According To Joey
This blog was written about two years ago now but I had posted it elsewhere. I was recently reminded of it because Joey who is now 7 said something very funny and smart so I thought I would share one of his moments with you...
The World According to Joey
My godson Joey is 5 years old. He is the most precocious child I have ever met. To Joey I am his Ta-Da which is a combination of Tia (Aunt) and Daddy. I was the only one in the delivery room with my cousin the day that Joey was born so for Father’s Day I get a Happy Father’s Day phone call. I am also Joey’s Nina (godmother) because I am the only one in the family that accepts his birth as a blessing and not as another fatherless child.
If you ever want to forget about your worries all you have to do is sit down and talk to a five year old. They will give you new perspectives to life’s trials and tribulations. They are pretty genius if you ask me.
About two month’s ago it was Joey’s birthday and they had a birthday party for him and his brother Niko who was born a day before but is two years older. I am also Niko’s Nina so it’s double duty for me. Sizewise Niko is seven but looks like he’s 9 and Joey is five but looks like he’s 4. Don’t let his small stature fool you. He is a handful.
One of Joey’s favorite pastimes is to sit and watch Scary Movies with his UT (Uncle Tony). On this occasion I happened to stay late and was helping clean up after the party. Joey finishes his bath and comes charging down the stairs. He takes one look at me and runs upstairs which baffled me because the kid likes hanging out. UT then goes over to see what happened and Joey yells down from the stairs, ‘But girls don’t like scary movies’ which makes me laugh. So Tony responds, ‘Your Nina likes scary movies Joey. If she gets scared you can hold her hand.’ To which Joey replies, ‘Ok but I don’t want her to cry.’ Again I laugh and then I turn around and tell UT, 'I really don't like scary movies.'
Joey gets to decide what we are going to watch so we end up watching Jaws 2 -- one of his favorite movies. As we are sitting there watching the movie there is a part where all the boats have pretty much sunk and there is a couple on a small raft and one guy that’s in the water who the couple is trying to save from Jaws. They are trying to pull the guy up while Jaws is trying to latch onto the guys’ legs. Of course the drama is where you don’t know if they will save the guy before Jaws gets him but Joey looks up and as a matter of fact says, ‘They should just let him go so Jaws will eat him and then they will be saved.’ To this I look at UT and say, ‘You know he’s right. If they would just let go then they would be safe.’ If life were only that simple, where we just let go and then we are safe from harm.
Joey is also going to Catholic School and learning about God. He comes home one day and we ask what he learned to which he replies, ‘I learned about God and Kevin’. We all look up from what we are doing and ask Joey at the same time, ‘Who the heck is Kevin?’ Joey replies, ‘I don’t know Nina but he lives with God. That’s what my teacher said.’ By now UT and I are laughing our heads off because we start imagining a world where Kevin does live with God. I imagine they are hanging out going to a gay bar and talking it up while Tony thinks they are drinking buddies that shoot pool on the weekends. Meanwhile Grandma is trying to explain to Joey that the teacher said Heaven and not Kevin but Joeys says, ‘No Grandma, you’re wrong. I know it’s God and Kevin.’
A few weeks pass and I see Joey again so I ask him how God and Kevin are doing. He looks at me, raises his brows while scrunching his nose and says, ‘No Nina, it’s not God and Kevin it’s God in Heaven!’. Although I am happy that he learned what he was supposed to learn it kind of saddens me a bit at the same time because I wish we could all see what the world would be like if different points of view were taught at a young age. Where the precocious child accepts what you tell them as truth. Where they are not yet jaded by the world we live in and the prejudices that come with living in this world.
6/18/07
The World According to Joey
My godson Joey is 5 years old. He is the most precocious child I have ever met. To Joey I am his Ta-Da which is a combination of Tia (Aunt) and Daddy. I was the only one in the delivery room with my cousin the day that Joey was born so for Father’s Day I get a Happy Father’s Day phone call. I am also Joey’s Nina (godmother) because I am the only one in the family that accepts his birth as a blessing and not as another fatherless child.
If you ever want to forget about your worries all you have to do is sit down and talk to a five year old. They will give you new perspectives to life’s trials and tribulations. They are pretty genius if you ask me.
About two month’s ago it was Joey’s birthday and they had a birthday party for him and his brother Niko who was born a day before but is two years older. I am also Niko’s Nina so it’s double duty for me. Sizewise Niko is seven but looks like he’s 9 and Joey is five but looks like he’s 4. Don’t let his small stature fool you. He is a handful.
One of Joey’s favorite pastimes is to sit and watch Scary Movies with his UT (Uncle Tony). On this occasion I happened to stay late and was helping clean up after the party. Joey finishes his bath and comes charging down the stairs. He takes one look at me and runs upstairs which baffled me because the kid likes hanging out. UT then goes over to see what happened and Joey yells down from the stairs, ‘But girls don’t like scary movies’ which makes me laugh. So Tony responds, ‘Your Nina likes scary movies Joey. If she gets scared you can hold her hand.’ To which Joey replies, ‘Ok but I don’t want her to cry.’ Again I laugh and then I turn around and tell UT, 'I really don't like scary movies.'
Joey gets to decide what we are going to watch so we end up watching Jaws 2 -- one of his favorite movies. As we are sitting there watching the movie there is a part where all the boats have pretty much sunk and there is a couple on a small raft and one guy that’s in the water who the couple is trying to save from Jaws. They are trying to pull the guy up while Jaws is trying to latch onto the guys’ legs. Of course the drama is where you don’t know if they will save the guy before Jaws gets him but Joey looks up and as a matter of fact says, ‘They should just let him go so Jaws will eat him and then they will be saved.’ To this I look at UT and say, ‘You know he’s right. If they would just let go then they would be safe.’ If life were only that simple, where we just let go and then we are safe from harm.
Joey is also going to Catholic School and learning about God. He comes home one day and we ask what he learned to which he replies, ‘I learned about God and Kevin’. We all look up from what we are doing and ask Joey at the same time, ‘Who the heck is Kevin?’ Joey replies, ‘I don’t know Nina but he lives with God. That’s what my teacher said.’ By now UT and I are laughing our heads off because we start imagining a world where Kevin does live with God. I imagine they are hanging out going to a gay bar and talking it up while Tony thinks they are drinking buddies that shoot pool on the weekends. Meanwhile Grandma is trying to explain to Joey that the teacher said Heaven and not Kevin but Joeys says, ‘No Grandma, you’re wrong. I know it’s God and Kevin.’
A few weeks pass and I see Joey again so I ask him how God and Kevin are doing. He looks at me, raises his brows while scrunching his nose and says, ‘No Nina, it’s not God and Kevin it’s God in Heaven!’. Although I am happy that he learned what he was supposed to learn it kind of saddens me a bit at the same time because I wish we could all see what the world would be like if different points of view were taught at a young age. Where the precocious child accepts what you tell them as truth. Where they are not yet jaded by the world we live in and the prejudices that come with living in this world.
6/18/07
Jul 11, 2009
Onyx & Zoe aka The Mutts that I Love
I had been wanting a little dog for some time. When I was about nine years old I was given a full-bred Pomeranian that we named Roddy (after the wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper..lol) that lasted a total of two days because he was stolen from my yard. Then when I was 17 I was given a full-bred miniature Poodle that I named Whiskey after my Uncle's drink of choice. Whiskey lasted a few years but he was more my brother's dog than mine since he had Angus (a Pitbull/Lab mix) and Lucas (a Rottweiller/Pitbull mix) and they all lived in the same doghouse. Whiskey ended up getting stolen too by this crazy old lady who lived down the street and basically refused to let us go in her yard and get our dog.
When I wanted to get a dog recently my brother was advocating against it saying that he would end up taking care of it. He would go to my sister's house and tell her that he didn't want me to get a dog and my sister asked him, "Since when do you take care of anything Marissa does and why do you think she will listen to you?" It makes me laugh because it's true.
In March of '07 I had called Mexico to talk to my Uncle and Aunt to see how they were doing and to check when they'd be back. My Aunt proceeds to tell me how the dog down the street had puppies and that they wanted to bring one home with them since my brother's dog Erin had recently died. I told my aunt that there were plenty of dogs in need of homes here and that we didn't need to import one from Mexico. The Mexican dog would have been perfect in theory though because I had always wanted to name my dog Frijolito ("Little Bean" in Spanish). My family came home in April but we didn't talk about it again. I did happen to mention to my brother though that I still wanted a dog and my aunt wanted one too so it was inevitable. He just said, "I don't want anymore dogs."
I had asked a friend advice on what kind of dog I should get and he suggested a terrier because it would be the smartest dog I could own and it would keep all the other dogs in check. So I started researching different types of terrier dogs to figure out which would be best for me.
In May of '07 I went to a baptism and ended up coming home with a bunny. I felt bad that it didn't have a home so I figured that I would have a bunny instead of a dog and I named it Chatita because her fur color looked like Horchata. While I was driving home my brother calls me to ask if I still wanted a dog. I told him I did and he said that he had a dog for me. So I asked him what the dog looked like. He said, "Who cares what it looks like, it's small and you said you wanted a small dog." So I told him, "Yes but I had a specific type of dog in mind." He then proceeds to tell me the story of this little dog that was being used as bait for Pitbull fights and that the little dog kept escaping from a yard somewhere in Rialto and that it was going to be taken to a pound because it wouldn't stay... So I said, "okay let's save this dog." I now had to figure out what to do with the bunny...
My brothers brought the dog home and when I looked at him I just fell in love with him. He was extremely hyper but loveable. He didn't look like a Frijolito. He was black and white and seemed to be some kind of a Spaniel mix. I thought what we could name him and so we started saying names out loud. My brother said hey what about Onyx and it clicked.
I had been studying gemstones for work and I remembered that Onyx is a gemstone that was naturally mainly black with some white veins. Some believe that gemstones have healing properties and Onyx is believed to foster inner truth, understanding, confidence and friendship. It's supposed to help relieve stress and give balance. What a great name for a little dog that has brought me more joy than I could have imagined and has helped in relieving some of the stressors that I had in my life.
It's taken some time to get Onyx to not jump over the fence in hopes of escaping. At his small stature (he weighs 17 lbs) he can still jump about 5 feet or so.
After a few months of having Onyx I was getting busier with work and I was trying to decide to move closer to work or not. If I moved, I would have to give up my dog to live in an apartment and I couldn't see myself without my little dog. So I decided to stay where I was and not move.
In February of this year my co-worker had mentioned that she had a little doxie that she needed to find a home for. I wanted to help so I asked around and when I mentioned it to my brother he suggested that maybe I should keep the dog. I went to visit my friend first to see how this dog would behave and I fell in love with her forceful personality immediatelyl so I had to bring her home. She's a long haired full-bred miniature dachshund and her name is Zoe.
Now Zoe has a very determined personality. She needs a lot attention and has a one track mind of playing 24/7. She is crate trained and house trained too so that made the addition all the easier.
At first Onyx was jealous. He wouldn't let Zoe near me and he wouldn't let her play with her toys. Zoe would bring the ball and want to play and Onyx would steal it and run away.
Since then they've made their peace and get along just fine. They are absolutely the best dogs ever and they appeal to my personality in different ways. Onyx is loving and cuddly and loves to just sit next to me while Zoe is active and wants to play all the time. She will bring her toy and put it next to you and sit while you throw it. If you take too long she'll nudge you with her nose. If you don't pay attention to her she'll nudge you again. I've been training her lately to put her own toys away and she does it most of the time. Meanwhile Onyx has now learned to leave his toys for you to throw.
The best part has been that I can see my Uncle and Aunt play with them as well. None of the dogs that we've had other than Angus have been allowed inside their house. My two pups are there usually with my uncle while he watches TV and when I ask him about it he'll tell me that they looked bored so he brought them in or my aunt will say that they wanted to play so she opened the gate for them to come next door. My Uncle will come over to cut the lawn in my yard and he'll complain that Zoe kept putting her toys on the lawnmower. Onyx will go to my aunt and race around inside the house before running outside again. He'll then jump on my brother's Bullmastiff Simon and then run back for safety inside my yard.
Onyx stealing toys from Zoe:
Zoe when I smuggled her into the office:
When I wanted to get a dog recently my brother was advocating against it saying that he would end up taking care of it. He would go to my sister's house and tell her that he didn't want me to get a dog and my sister asked him, "Since when do you take care of anything Marissa does and why do you think she will listen to you?" It makes me laugh because it's true.
In March of '07 I had called Mexico to talk to my Uncle and Aunt to see how they were doing and to check when they'd be back. My Aunt proceeds to tell me how the dog down the street had puppies and that they wanted to bring one home with them since my brother's dog Erin had recently died. I told my aunt that there were plenty of dogs in need of homes here and that we didn't need to import one from Mexico. The Mexican dog would have been perfect in theory though because I had always wanted to name my dog Frijolito ("Little Bean" in Spanish). My family came home in April but we didn't talk about it again. I did happen to mention to my brother though that I still wanted a dog and my aunt wanted one too so it was inevitable. He just said, "I don't want anymore dogs."
I had asked a friend advice on what kind of dog I should get and he suggested a terrier because it would be the smartest dog I could own and it would keep all the other dogs in check. So I started researching different types of terrier dogs to figure out which would be best for me.
In May of '07 I went to a baptism and ended up coming home with a bunny. I felt bad that it didn't have a home so I figured that I would have a bunny instead of a dog and I named it Chatita because her fur color looked like Horchata. While I was driving home my brother calls me to ask if I still wanted a dog. I told him I did and he said that he had a dog for me. So I asked him what the dog looked like. He said, "Who cares what it looks like, it's small and you said you wanted a small dog." So I told him, "Yes but I had a specific type of dog in mind." He then proceeds to tell me the story of this little dog that was being used as bait for Pitbull fights and that the little dog kept escaping from a yard somewhere in Rialto and that it was going to be taken to a pound because it wouldn't stay... So I said, "okay let's save this dog." I now had to figure out what to do with the bunny...
My brothers brought the dog home and when I looked at him I just fell in love with him. He was extremely hyper but loveable. He didn't look like a Frijolito. He was black and white and seemed to be some kind of a Spaniel mix. I thought what we could name him and so we started saying names out loud. My brother said hey what about Onyx and it clicked.
I had been studying gemstones for work and I remembered that Onyx is a gemstone that was naturally mainly black with some white veins. Some believe that gemstones have healing properties and Onyx is believed to foster inner truth, understanding, confidence and friendship. It's supposed to help relieve stress and give balance. What a great name for a little dog that has brought me more joy than I could have imagined and has helped in relieving some of the stressors that I had in my life.
It's taken some time to get Onyx to not jump over the fence in hopes of escaping. At his small stature (he weighs 17 lbs) he can still jump about 5 feet or so.
After a few months of having Onyx I was getting busier with work and I was trying to decide to move closer to work or not. If I moved, I would have to give up my dog to live in an apartment and I couldn't see myself without my little dog. So I decided to stay where I was and not move.
In February of this year my co-worker had mentioned that she had a little doxie that she needed to find a home for. I wanted to help so I asked around and when I mentioned it to my brother he suggested that maybe I should keep the dog. I went to visit my friend first to see how this dog would behave and I fell in love with her forceful personality immediatelyl so I had to bring her home. She's a long haired full-bred miniature dachshund and her name is Zoe.
Now Zoe has a very determined personality. She needs a lot attention and has a one track mind of playing 24/7. She is crate trained and house trained too so that made the addition all the easier.
At first Onyx was jealous. He wouldn't let Zoe near me and he wouldn't let her play with her toys. Zoe would bring the ball and want to play and Onyx would steal it and run away.
Since then they've made their peace and get along just fine. They are absolutely the best dogs ever and they appeal to my personality in different ways. Onyx is loving and cuddly and loves to just sit next to me while Zoe is active and wants to play all the time. She will bring her toy and put it next to you and sit while you throw it. If you take too long she'll nudge you with her nose. If you don't pay attention to her she'll nudge you again. I've been training her lately to put her own toys away and she does it most of the time. Meanwhile Onyx has now learned to leave his toys for you to throw.
The best part has been that I can see my Uncle and Aunt play with them as well. None of the dogs that we've had other than Angus have been allowed inside their house. My two pups are there usually with my uncle while he watches TV and when I ask him about it he'll tell me that they looked bored so he brought them in or my aunt will say that they wanted to play so she opened the gate for them to come next door. My Uncle will come over to cut the lawn in my yard and he'll complain that Zoe kept putting her toys on the lawnmower. Onyx will go to my aunt and race around inside the house before running outside again. He'll then jump on my brother's Bullmastiff Simon and then run back for safety inside my yard.
Onyx stealing toys from Zoe:
Zoe when I smuggled her into the office:
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