Anna these pictures are precious. Don't worry we all understand feeling warm and fuzzy. Lydia is a lucky girl to have such a big ole sweet friend to grow up with.

My daughter has a similar situation with Harlee and Jeremy. Jeremy is now 18 months old and has been able to take bones and toys out of Harlee's mouth at any time since Day One. In fact if Harlee sees him coming she will often let go of what she is playing with. I must admit that it is a little disconcerting to me to see Jeremy put a chewy in his mouth that was in Harlee's mouth just moments before!

I love both of my dogs in different ways. Ripley is my velcro dog and we have a very, very deep bond. My husband refers to him as "my" dog and that is not something that he has ever said about any of our other dogs in the past.

Bella is more independent than Ripley. She doesn't have to be right up against me but she does need to be in the same room. She is my deep "thinker" of the two, and has an uncanny way to manipulate me.

They are both special in their different ways. I know exactly what you mean when you say that you are missing Emerson and worry about the future with Malone. Dogs' lives are way too short and every now and then I will think about "when they leave." I just try to push it out of my mind because I don't want anything to spoil the "now."

Oh, and I am smiling at the fact that Malone is still playing with a stuffed toy that you have had so long. Unfortunately my Bella is a stuffy murderer so I can't even begin to relate to that!