Happy Thursday! As a treat for making it this far into the work week, we have double the cuteness! Meet Maddie & Lulu, two very special dogs belonging to Rebekah Thorsett, who is an event stylist with Moore & Co. Events. Moore & Co. Events is a wedding/event design and planning team out of Bel Air. They specialize in designing custom events for couples that perfectly reflect their personalities and personal style. Moore & Co. Events’ goal is to make each event seamless and stress-free so couples can truly experience their day with their family and friends – plus, to leave every guest with lasting memories that will be talked about for years to come! Without further ado, please welcome Maddie & Lulu to Holy Muttrimony week! – Allie Rosenwasser
Best friends: Maddie & Lulu.
- Rebekah has always had an incredibly passionate love for animals. Her parent’s jobs had the family traveling A LOT when Rebekah was young. Every new place Rebekah went, she managed to find a creature of some sort and would officially “adopt it”. This long list of furry friends included everything from a very flea-ridden stray dog with some sort of terrible skin condition (Rebekah’s mom was super excited about that one) to an entire litter of newborn kittens Rebekah found under a bush. The kittens had a completely capable mother, but Rebekah still somehow felt that she had to bring them scraps from her dinner each night which, of course, they couldn’t eat. Rebekah somehow always related better to animals when she was young than she did to people.
- Similarly, Rebekah’s husband, Brian, is a huge animal lover and the two wanted to get a dog together for a long time. Rebekah and Brian had even been actively looking before their wedding, but didn’t get their house together until the month before their wedding, and both had roommates so logistically, it was difficult for them to bring a dog home. Rebekah and Brian also agreed it would be unfair to the dog because it would be such a confusing environment to be brought into initially.
- As soon as Rebekah and Brian got back from their honeymoon and got settled (the couple wed October 6, 2012), Rebekah was back at the shelter looking for their fur-child. Both Rebekah and Brian are strong advocates for adoption/rescue so a pet store or breeder just wasn’t an option for them. They knew the perfect addition was out there somewhere.
- It seemed that every time Rebekah and Brian found a promising prospect, someone had already adopted them (which was a great problem to have). Rebekah was talking about her adoption woes with one of her good friends and the friend started glowing. Rebekah’s friend said she knew of someone that was trying desperately to re-home their dog. The friend asked if Rebekah and Brian would consider meeting the dog. They agreed, and their friend arranged to pick up the dog and bring her to Rebekah and Brian’s house so they could spend a little time with her. Maddie never left! They fell instantly in love.
- About a year ago, Rebekah and Brian started talking more and more about the possibility of getting a sibling for Maddie. They went to the shelter a couple of times, but it was important that they found a dog that would really get along well with Maddie and no one seemed to be the right fit. It wasn’t too long after this that Rebekah met Teri (tPoz Photography) – they had worked on a wedding together and, of course, became friends on Facebook too. (Side note: if you know Teri you know that she’s not only a dog lover/owner but she goes the extra step and fosters dogs on a regular basis to give them a comfortable and loving transition into their new home.)
- Teri started posting pictures of this cute little bundle, and Rebekah managed to ignore them for about a week until she just couldn’t hold back anymore, so she emailed Teri and asked her for a little more information about this adorable face she kept posting. Rebekah and Teri agreed to do a meet up at BARCS with Maddie and Lulu to see how they got along. They were perfect!
- Rebekah and Brian took all of a day to think about it before they decided that Lulu was the sister we knew Maddie needed. The transition has been more difficult with Lulu. Maddie struggled a bit going from only child to big sister and Lulu’s had a rough past (from what Rebekah and Brian can tell) and has been very slow to trust them. But, eight months later the girls get along REALLY well. They play constantly and even snuggle on occasion. Lulu has come a long way as well. She still runs if Rebekah or Brian makes a loud noise or a sudden movement she wasn’t expecting, but she also loves to play ball and lay on top of them on the couch and sleeps directly in between Rebekah and Brian every single night.
- Together, they’ve managed to make a great little family unit! J
Facts about Maddie:
- She is the shy, nerdy wallflower that just wants to please you. She loves to snuggle. She is exceptionally smart. Rebekah swears she has learned how to spell. She’ll ask Brian (trying to be sneaky about the question)…. “When’s the last time the dogs were let O-U-T to P-O-T-T-I-E?” Maddie jumps up and runs to the door.*Sigh!
- She’s also learned how to “dance” for treats. She started this totally on her own. It’s kind of this backwards two-step thing while she throws her head from side to side. Rebekah and Brian just went with it and now she’ll do it on command.
- Maddie is absolutely devoted. She is absolutely thrilled when either Rebekah or Brian comes home. It doesn’t matter if they’ve been gone five minutes; Maddie finds her nearest toy and brings it over as a gift.
- Maddie cries (which is actually kind of pathetic and sad) and wants nothing but a long snuggle session. “It’s a wonderful feeling knowing you are so, so loved,” says Rebekah.
Facts about Lulu:
- Lulu is a little more “street smart”. She certainly doesn’t have Maddie’s intelligence. Or maybe she does. Rebekah’s convinced that when she and Brian teach Lulu a new trick, she knows exactly what they want her to do, but finds it more entertaining to watch Rebekah and Brian try to teach her.
- Lulu’s nickname is “pig dog” because she will do this adorable little snort at you if she wants your attention. She also snorts a bit when she’s really trying to get the smell out of something.
- Probably her cutest habit is her “zoomie run” (Rebekah the name from Teri and it’s a great description). When Lulu is super excited she does a sideways jump straight up in the air and then just takes off. She tucks her back legs under and runs with all the speed her stocky little body will allow. She runs in big circles around Rebekah and Brian until she’s completely worn out!
- Rebekah loves Lulu’s independence. Lulu really tries to put on this façade that she just doesn’t care but it’s not the case at all. When Rebekah and Brian come home, Lulu will patiently wait on the landing. She’s not whining or crying like Maddie does. She just stands. If you didn’t know any better it would look like she didn’t care if Rebekah and Brian ever came home. But looking closer, her little tail is wagging and if you make eye contact with her she gets this sheepish look and her tail starts wagging harder.
- Lulu loves the snuggles too, she just doesn’t want to admit it. J
- It’s been a long road with Lulu because of her background and it’s taken quite a while for her to trust Rebekah and Brian. Lulu’s trust grows a little more every day and while there is still progress to make, anyone can tell that Lulu is really happy and loves her home, which is the best reward for Rebekah!
