Texans Neydi and Carlos Romero have been married for three years, and on each of their wedding anniversaries they have celebrated by adopting a dog. Hopefully they’ll be happy together for a long time, and hopefully they have enough room!
The Bedford couple didn’t plan to make this their tradition, but growing up, Neydi wasn’t allowed to have dogs, so she knew as an adult that she wanted a houseful of them.
“We’ve always liked dogs, but my mom never let me have them,” she told BuzzFeed News. “As soon as I moved out and started my new life with Carlos, we knew we wanted a dog.”
But getting one actually came as a surprise for Neydi.
“Carlos got our first dog, Captain, as a surprise for me,” Neydi told The Dodo. “We had talked about getting a dog since we got married, so he got him for the first-year mark.
“Captain is a sweet, smart, and independent dog. He is the one that takes care of me when I am sad or sick,” she said of the Australian shepherd/blue heeler mix. “He loves to go to the park and get chased by his doggie friends.
“Then for the second anniversary, we brought in Teddy. Carlos [and I] were talking about how we get a dog every single year and we were talking about continuing with the tradition.
“He was infected with tapeworms and severely underweight when we first got him,” she said, explaining how the Lab/beagle mix was being given away for free on Craigslist, and that a year later he was vibrant and full of life.
“Teddy is funny, super energetic and crazy. He loves to cuddle and give a ton of kisses. Ever since he was little we have taken him to the dog park and he is always the life of the party.”
Then year three rolled around, and in came Chewy. The shepherd/husky mix wasn’t Neydi’s choice, but when she saw what the shelter was like, she knew they had to save him.
“He is a super smart and funny boy. He is still a baby and it’s too early to say what he will be like in the future, but I know he is a great dog.”
At first, adding a puppy to the mix was a bit stressful, but now they seemed to have found their groove.
“This is how the dynamic works in this household: Captain is always trying to stay out of trouble, Teddy is always starting the trouble and Chewy likes to get involved,” Neydi said. (Sounds like a typical sibling dynamic!)
“They all have such different personalities, but they get along regardless of their differences. At one point in the day they could be fighting and the very same day I will find them napping together.”
Neydi’s sister Odalis shared the family’s custom on Twitter, and now it’s got a lot of people thinking about boosting their own #relationshipgoals.
“I was glad to know my sister wanted to shelter these dogs and make them a part of her family. They’re like my nephews,” Odalis Herrera said. “I really do feel like having them has taught my brother-in-law and sister a lot more about patience and love.
“I hope others are inspired to adopt/foster a dog from a shelter or other ethical methods. There are countless dogs who are in need of a loving home.”
However, Neydi wants people to realize that pets aren’t just gifts, but family members for life.
“A lot of people look at dogs like presents. Each dog I got, I knew the responsibilities I was getting into,” Neydi explained. “All dogs have a capability of living a long life. I don’t think some people realize they’re living things.”
But the Romeros don’t have infinite funding or room, so they’re setting the limit at five.
“We’re going to try to push till our fifth anniversary, and from there we’re going to stop,” Neydi said laughingly.
But their ultimate goal is to one day turn their home into a rescue where they can foster dogs.
“It makes more sense. If we keep going, it’s going to be pretty wild. In a perfect world we would be getting dogs every year… but it’s the real world.”
