Before the Brown Dogs, There Was Cornholio

It might seem like an odd place to start, but before I introduce the current pups, I feel like I should start by introducing my first dog; the little guy who made me fall in love with being a dog mom. The Great Cornholio.


Cornholio was a stray dog who had been adopted by my husband's family when my husband was still in high school. He lived with my father in law on his horse farm near Joliet, IL until one fateful visit when Shawn and I decided to bring Cornholio home to Philadelphia with us. It was definitely a decision that changed my life.

Shawn, Nicole and Cornholio: NYC, 2002 or 2003?

Corndog was a difficult little guy who loved attention and had no manners at all. He was a great dog who loved to cuddle and eat pizza. He was 10 pounds of Boston Terrier crazy who would lean like a sack of potatoes whenever he was carried, making himself feel like he weighed 30 lbs. He was a big sweetheart who slept under the covers and loved to lay in the sunshine. He was already somewhere between 10 and 12 years old when he came to live with us, so I always knew him as my "little old man dog."


Since he was a stray, we never really knew how old he was, but we think he was around 16 years old when we started treating him for "doggie alzheimers" at the advice of our vet. One day in June of 2006 it became apparent that Cornholio's problems were more severe than we thought and that it was necessary to let him go. He will never be forgotten. Shawn and I both got tattoos when he passed.

Tattoos by Jason Goldberg, Olde City Tattoos, Philadelphia

Anyway, as he is an important part of my intoduction to dog ownership, I wanted to share a little piece of Cornholio's story with you. He was the dog that made me love dogs and opened my heart to the dogs that were to come later...