| Meet Zeus & Xander |
Zeus and Xander brightened the lives of the Carlsons for a decade. "During those 10 years," the Carlsons say, "they not only became a huge part of our family, but they also touched the lives of our friends. Due to their passing, we would like to share our memories with the Blue Buffalo family and friends."
A Matched Set
Originally, the Carlsons weren't looking for two dogs. "We all went to see the new puppies and chose the one that we wanted," they remember. "After seeing the two of them together, we couldn't break them up. We decided to keep the brothers together and get both of them."
After all five Carlsons deliberated on names while sitting in the car, they decided on Xander for the black nosed dog, and Zeus for the pink nosed. In many ways, the two were as different as night and day.
Different Strokes
"There is a park down the street from our house where they used to love going," the Carlsons explain. "They would make friends with whatever dog was also there. When they were puppies, Zeus was running through the water whereas Xander was running away from it. Not much changed as they got older."
"Xander was an old man who
didn't like change. However, if you
picked up a toy and squeaked it,
his inner puppy came out."
"In Xander's mind, playing with toys was the best part of his day. He would go searching for the best one, squeaking every toy he picked up in the meantime. During the summer, you could always find him basking in the sun!" As he aged, "Xander was an old man who didn't like change. However, if you picked up a toy and squeaked it, he would come running and his inner puppy came out. He wasn't very affectionate, but whenever he gave kisses, you knew he meant it!"
"He would intently watch the television.
He would look at you if you changed
the channel he was watching."
"In Zeus's mind, he was not a dog. Toys were boring to him and he only played with them if he wanted to make Xander jealous. He loved to sit on your lap, or on your feet if he wasn't allowed up on your lap. Here, he would intently watch the television. He felt that he was above any dog and didn't want to be treated like one! He would sigh if you kicked him off the bed, or look at you if you changed the channel he was watching."
Dogs of a Feather
Despite their differences, the two dogs had a lot in common. "Since they were brothers, they had a special kind of connection," the Carlsons say. "One example of this is the way they sat. They would be either identical or an exact mirror image. Even if they were in separate rooms."
"If we ordered Chinese food, we had to
order extra white rice just for them."
"They both knew who to go to in order to get treats or any special treatment. They also knew who would let them get away with specific things. If we ordered Chinese food, we had to order extra white rice just for them. They knew when we ordered it, and if we didn't feed them right away, they would be right at our side until we did."
"Our day was not complete
until you got slobbered on."
Lovable Slob-berers
Xander and Zeus lapped their water noisily. "You could hear them drinking when you were in any part of the house," say the Carlsons. "If someone happened to walk through the door, they would come running. The only thing was when they drank, the water would stay on their jowls. As they shook their bodies with the tail wagging, the water would go in every direction. The funniest part was when it happened to our friends and you could hear them say 'ewwww!' Whereas if it happened to us, it was just another part of our day. Our day was not complete until you got slobbered on."
When the Carlsons came home, they would be greeted by a welcoming committee of two. "Zeus would meet you at the door as you opened it, and Xander would be running towards you with a toy. Both of them would be wagging their tails so much, their butts would shake."
Xander and BLUE
"Xander would always sniff his treats and then decide whether or not he would actually eat it," say the Carlsons. "With BLUE, he would sniff, and then instantly eat it."
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