New Addition

Our family has grown by four paws and 11 pounds!! We adopted a Yorkie/Lhaso Apso mix from a rescue last Saturday and he has fast come to rule the roost. Some of you may remember our black Lab, Duke, who we sadly had to say goodbye to almost a year ago. It's taken me that long to be ready for another dog. And I knew I was only ready for a small-ish dog. I loved Duke to pieces, but he was a beast! The biggest 112 pound baby ever.

When the kids and I saw this little guy at an adoption event, and he was sweet as could be when we took him out to play, I knew we had found a good match. Once they had walked (carried) him around the parking lot and received a thousand wet kisses from him, I knew there was no way he was going back in that cage. Some paperwork and a trip to Pet Smart for a collar and leash and he was ours. 

We went back and forth between the names Denver and Sailor (if you know anything about our football loyalties, these names should make sense!)...but in the end, it was Wyatt's birthday the following day, so we let him make the final decision, and he said Sailor was his favorite.

Sailor was only with the rescue agency two weeks before we found him and they aren't quite sure of his story leading up to when he arrived there. Our best guess is that he's around three years old. Which is great because he doesn't have any puppy tendencies - no chewing, no potty training, no hyperactivity. But because of his tiny size, the kids totally think of him as a puppy! Our other best guess is that a man, or men, weren't very nice to him. Because he barks his head off and growls at Matt and any other men that come to our house. When Matt tries to get down on his level and pet him, Sailor cowers and shakes, and barks some more. (Insert sad, breaking heart face here!) So we are working on that. After some coaxing, Sailor is happy to snuggle up to Matt on the couch or in bed at night - but every day, we have to re-introduce them to get to that point.

Sailor has attached himself to me. He literally follows me everywhere I go. Even to the bathroom in the middle of the night. He always has to be by my side. And while I never used to think I was a little dog person, I have to admit having a lovable, cuddly shadow pulls on your heart strings. He's even sleeping at the foot of our bed (sometimes in the middle of our bed) and I NEVER would have guessed I would be THAT kind of dog person!! 

The kids are over the moon for him. Fighting over who gets to hold the leash when they go on walks - usually Sailor ends up getting three separate walks a day! And no complaints when it comes time to give him a bath or clean up his messes. Overall, we are very happy with our newest addition and are having so much fun giving him all the love he missed out on for awhile. 

Memory Lane

For today's Memory Lane I wanted to go back to the day we brought Duke home. He is both the biggest joy and the biggest ache these days. I mean, don't I already clean up enough POOP?! I can't even make my own run a priority, let alone the dog's. Who's idea was it to get a dog anyway? Oh yes, MINE.

Duke truly is a member of our family. And as much as he makes me crazy...He is the most fiercely loyal thing ever. I don't think I could live without him. He makes me feel safe when Mateo is gone. I know, without a doubt, he'd take off your head if you step foot on our property and I don't want you here. I also know, without a doubt, his happiest moments are playing with the kids. Bonus? He's saved me from buying more than a few $80 Dinosaur Encyclopedias from a door to door salesman! (Seriously look how tiny he is! 1/3rd the size of a 3 year old Megan!)

New Family Additon

originally blogged December 12, 2006

We have a new addition to our family! A four legged one that is. For Christmas I got Matt a black Labrador puppy. We picked him up today and Matt named him "Duke." As long as I have known him, Matt has wanted a black lab.When Matt was a boy, he had a black lab named Frodo that was taken away because, after being provoked, the dog snipped at a girl down the street. Matt says he can still vividly remember the day and how sad he was. So, finally Matt has his redemption. Duke is SO cute and already the girls are in love with him. He chases them around the house and wrestles with them on the ground. I was a little worried about getting the girls to leave him alone long enough so that he could get some sleep. But right in the middle of all the noise and commotion - Duke just laid down on the carpet in the living room and passed out. Coming from a litter of 7 pups, I guess he's used to sleeping when and where he can get it! This being his first night away from home however....we'll see how long it lasts.

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That was one cute puppy!
Here we are almost 5 years later...and he's still pretty cute.
Even if he is the BIGGEST 112 pound baby in the house!

Duke Update

So having a new puppy is a little like having a newborn in the house! We are constantly focused on when he eats, what he eats, when he pees, when he poops. We were up in the night to let him out, can't leave him alone for more than an hour, and worrying if every training decision we make is "right" or "really working!?" All in all, Duke has been a wonderful addition to the family.

If Matt is home, Duke is by his side. Maybe it's a male thing! And the girls just can't leave him alone. He's already learned to find his crate for naptime if he really wants to sleep. Molly affectionately calls him "Doo" and both girls giggle hysterically when he chases them around the yard. We are proud to say he now sleeps thru the night and hasn't had an accident inside in two days! So you can appreciate how little he is (for now) and how much the girls smother him, I wanted to share the following pictures.

Yes - that's Megan taking the puppy down the slide in our backyard. Good thing he's so tolerant...let's see her try it in 6 months when he's 80 lbs!

New Family Addition

We have a new addition to our family! A four legged one that is. For Christmas I got Matt a black Labrador puppy. We picked him up today and Matt named him "Duke." As long as I have known him, Matt has wanted a black lab.When Matt was a boy he had one named Frodo that was taken away because, after being provoked, he snipped at a girl down the street. He says he can still vividly remember the day and how sad he was. So, finally Matt has his redemption. Duke is SO cute and already the girls are in love with him. He chases them around the house and wrestles with them on the ground. I was a little worried about getting the girls to leave him alone long enough so that he could get some sleep. But right in the middle of all the noise and commotion - Duke just laid down on the carpet in the living room and passed out. Coming from a litter of 7 pups, I guess he's used to sleeping when and where he can get it! This being his first night away from home however....we'll see how long it lasts!