I have done six loads of laundry in the past two days. I've stood outside at 3:00 am in the drizzling rain. I haven't slept well. I've been up and down, saying, "No bite," or "No chase," or "Uh oh!" This riddle isn't too hard to solve. We have a new puppy in the house.
Oh, don't get me wrong. I wanted a dog. I've wanted a dog for the past five years. I had to make do with loving other people's dogs whenever we crossed paths. See, our last dog, Sophie, died in a tragic accident and Mike held himself responsible. Before that, we'd had a dog, Indiana, that we're still talking about, the one who came with us on our honeymoon. Both of these dogs were very special. Sophie was my sweet dog and Indiana was Mike's lifetime dog.
On Sunday, we went to an adoption fair, expecting to begin to look at dogs. Nick wanted to have his own dog, so we had told him that he would get to pick the next one. Well, we had veto power if we thought it might not fit our family, but basically this dog would be his.
We walked out of that fair with a two-month old Golden Aussie mix. Oh my God, he's cute. He's blonde and looks like a classic Golden Retriever except for his fuzzy fur and eyes that are a little rheumy. He's smaller than both cats, which is good since they can still give him the what for if he chases them. We've got to nip that in the bud since he'll try herding them like sheep. No, honey, we don't have any sheep for you.
Nick wanted to name him Spike, but we vetoed that and let him have his second choice, Teddy. Teddy is a sweet boy who, when he's already a little tired, will immediately fall asleep if you rub his belly. I tried to take him for a walk today, but he ended up zipped into my jacket after a few hundred feet. That distance will grow quickly and that's what I'm counting on, for Nick, Mike, and I need to get some walking time. Still, it was nice to get out for a bit and meet other dogs and their people. Teddy drew quite a few admirers already. Who doesn't love a puppy?
We're working on house training, cat manners, and the basic differences between wrestling with your brothers and playing with people. Seth and Buddy, seem to have accepted Teddy much better than I expected. I'm sure it helps that he's small and we aren't letting him chase them. Today, I sat with a sleeping puppy cuddled up next to me and Buddy jumped into my lap. Teddy woke up enough to see him there, put his nose into Buddy's soft fur, snuffled, and sighed a happy sigh. I know the poor boy misses his brother and sister, so it was a good moment, a very good moment. I tell you, have needed a dog for so long now and Nick says that he feels very lucky. Teddy loves to snuggle with him and play with him in the yard even though he has to stay on his leash because of the busy road out front.
I have so much to do this week, but I'm looking forward to telling Teddy, "Want to go for a ride?" and seeing his ears go up in anticipation. I hope for more puppy-pile naps with him and the cats on the couch. I'm so grateful to have a little guy who'll go with me on the trails during the day. I know that Nickie is going to love his dog, especially when he's house trained and can go into Nick's bed at night, but I'm going to love having him with me while everyone else is away at work and school. We are going to walk all over this county.
Thank you for listening, jb
Oh, don't get me wrong. I wanted a dog. I've wanted a dog for the past five years. I had to make do with loving other people's dogs whenever we crossed paths. See, our last dog, Sophie, died in a tragic accident and Mike held himself responsible. Before that, we'd had a dog, Indiana, that we're still talking about, the one who came with us on our honeymoon. Both of these dogs were very special. Sophie was my sweet dog and Indiana was Mike's lifetime dog.
On Sunday, we went to an adoption fair, expecting to begin to look at dogs. Nick wanted to have his own dog, so we had told him that he would get to pick the next one. Well, we had veto power if we thought it might not fit our family, but basically this dog would be his.
We walked out of that fair with a two-month old Golden Aussie mix. Oh my God, he's cute. He's blonde and looks like a classic Golden Retriever except for his fuzzy fur and eyes that are a little rheumy. He's smaller than both cats, which is good since they can still give him the what for if he chases them. We've got to nip that in the bud since he'll try herding them like sheep. No, honey, we don't have any sheep for you.
Nick wanted to name him Spike, but we vetoed that and let him have his second choice, Teddy. Teddy is a sweet boy who, when he's already a little tired, will immediately fall asleep if you rub his belly. I tried to take him for a walk today, but he ended up zipped into my jacket after a few hundred feet. That distance will grow quickly and that's what I'm counting on, for Nick, Mike, and I need to get some walking time. Still, it was nice to get out for a bit and meet other dogs and their people. Teddy drew quite a few admirers already. Who doesn't love a puppy?
We're working on house training, cat manners, and the basic differences between wrestling with your brothers and playing with people. Seth and Buddy, seem to have accepted Teddy much better than I expected. I'm sure it helps that he's small and we aren't letting him chase them. Today, I sat with a sleeping puppy cuddled up next to me and Buddy jumped into my lap. Teddy woke up enough to see him there, put his nose into Buddy's soft fur, snuffled, and sighed a happy sigh. I know the poor boy misses his brother and sister, so it was a good moment, a very good moment. I tell you, have needed a dog for so long now and Nick says that he feels very lucky. Teddy loves to snuggle with him and play with him in the yard even though he has to stay on his leash because of the busy road out front.
I have so much to do this week, but I'm looking forward to telling Teddy, "Want to go for a ride?" and seeing his ears go up in anticipation. I hope for more puppy-pile naps with him and the cats on the couch. I'm so grateful to have a little guy who'll go with me on the trails during the day. I know that Nickie is going to love his dog, especially when he's house trained and can go into Nick's bed at night, but I'm going to love having him with me while everyone else is away at work and school. We are going to walk all over this county.
Thank you for listening, jb
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