Backstory

Aggie & Lily are our two mixed breed rescue dogs that have been part of our family for around five (+) years. We adopted Aggie in 2000 and Lily a year later. Aggie is a little bit larger than Lily and has a white chest. Lily is all brindle.

Despite appearances, they are completely unrelated by blood. In fact, our best guess is that Aggie is part Boxer, Staffordshire Terrier (related to the American Pit Bull), possibly Labrador (because of her partially webed feet). Lily looks to be mostly Staff as well, but when she is really exited she gets a raised ridge down the length of her spine, which makes me think that she could have some Rodesian Ridge-Back in her (were it not for her smaller size).

<rant>
People are often struck by how friendly our dogs are, and how quickly and closely they bond with humans. Sadly, dogs that look like ours are much maligned by the press, and have even been victims of extermination programs. One of the more recent and notable dog extermination programs is in Denver, CO, where dogs that merely look like they are part Pitt Bull, living with their owner indoors, and with no record or history of violence, are now regularly killed against the owner's wishes and with little legal recourse. My wife and I also avoided Kirkland, WA because of their own ignorant breed laws.
</rant>

Life with our dogs has brought some challenges. Aggie has had three cases of mast cell cancer (all completely cured via surgery), and will eventually need at least one hip replaced because she has severe hip dysplasia. Lily has been mostly healthy, but when we adopted her she required her front left leg to be reconstructed because of a profound injury of unknown origin. You can see Lily's pre-operative leg in the fourth image from the top.

Nonetheless, Aggie and Lily are an important part of our family. So much so, that they think they're humans, while my toddler son thinks he is a dog.

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