The Prentice Puppies

Because Kegan is in politics, right?

When I met Django and Marino, I felt a bit overwhelmed.

Django and Marino are 80 pound black labs. And I couldn’t tell them apart. Not only couldn’t I tell them apart, but I wasn’t even sure what Django’s name was.

I love dogs, don’t get me wrong. But I was a little bit unsure about big dogs. I grew up with a Yorkshire Terrier named Roscoe. He never weighed more than 12 pounds. I could scoop him up and force him to sit with me whenever I wanted. He was my living baby doll.

Compared to Django and Marino, Roscoe was a peanut. However, despite their stature, the dogs’ size didn’t turn out to be as scary as I first anticipated.

Django and Marino were littermates, coming from a litter of 8. They were the only boys in the litter. Kegan’s older brother, Kyle, was planning to take Django with him when he moved out of the house. So the Prentice family adopted the two boys and raised them together. However, when Kyle moved out, he didn’t take Django with him. Instead, he and his girlfriend adopted Riggs, an American Staffordshire Terrier.

So, the Prentices had two black labs. They are well loved in the Prentice household; Kegan’s mom, Christine, gets Christmas presents for them each year and they each have their own stocking. On their birthday, sometimes Kegan’s dad, Harold, will cook them a special dinner.  Now at six years old, the littermates look a lot alike upon first glance. Sturdy boys, black all over, excluding few white and grey furs on their chins. However, it doesn’t take long to see that Django and Marino are a lot more different than they are alike.

Django’s whiskers are much whiter than Marino’s. Aside from the white in his chin, Django’s most iconic features include his red collar and his “smile” with wide-open eyes. In true Labrador Retriever fashion, Django never fails to greet a new friend without a toy in his mouth. As the feistier of the dogs, Django is always looking for a playmate. His ambitious personality has a tendency to get him into trouble; over the last few months, he’s been guilty of chewing up his bed. One of his worst habits is attempting to get up onto the couch. Now, I must admit, this only seems to happen when I am visiting. I think we will chalk that up to coincidence 😉.

Marino, on the other hand, seems to foil his brother. As the quiet dog in the house, Marino is often found sitting on the floor by the couch, waiting for the chance to be petted. Impatient at times, he may nudge a hand or squeeze his head between a pair of unsuspecting legs. He appears older and wiser than his brother, his face wrinkled and eyes never fully open. He dawns a blue collar, and occasionally, if Django lets go of a toy for long enough, he will spend time chomping away at it. His hunger is unmatched; at dinner time, he will eat quickly and wait until Django finishes and walks away before licking the remnants of his bowl up. Marino prefers to spend his time outside. Marino enjoys searching the yard for sticks, but also likes to play fetch with a tennis ball.

Kyle’s dog Riggs is also very much a part of the family. While Django is excited to play when Riggs visits, Marino will dart away from him if at all possible, taking refuge underneath someone’s legs or in his fenced in backyard if someone will let him go outside. Riggs is full of energy, especially when he gets to visit his “friends.”

The labs, not to be cliché or anything, have changed my outlook on dogs. Before falling in love and meeting these boys, big dogs were a little scary for me. I was used to the yappy lifestyle of my Yorkie; I didn’t really see how an 80-pound lab could be as much of a lap dog as Roscoe. Sure, I can’t scoop them up (as easily) and force them to love me, but I don’t have to force them to love me. I just have to sit there and they’ll come to me, Django with a toy, Marino with just himself, and spend time with me.

Ever since Roscoe died, I’ve had a sort of “dog fever” that just won’t go away. Obviously, part of that is still mourning for him and wishing he were still here with me. At my house, there’s no four-legged friend to come home to. It has been hard on me; as such an animal lover, not having a snoot to boop or a water dish to fill up has made me sad. But I know that all I have to do is go over to Kegan’s house, and I’ll have two black labs that will love me unconditionally. They have been an immense source of comfort to me.

The dogs do not have a social media account, and Kegan isn’t the president yet, so they really don’t have a big role in “pawlitics.” However, they’ve watched enough Rand Paul videos with Harold to have developed some fiscal conservative pawlicies.

In the future, I hope to be able to share the stories of some dogs who have really made it in the world of politics. But for now, I hope Django and Marino’s love will keep you inspired until then.