Puppy Love...
Ever since we lost our dear dog Obi last May, I've felt a void in our home and in our hearts. But my husband was adamant there would be no other dog in our house. Ever...
The kids also have been begging for a puppy but he was unmoving. This past week my son, Chris, has really been focused on getting another dog, to the point of writing a whole list of all the things he would do with it and how he would take care of it. He also asked about the volunteering program our local SPCA has for kids so one day after school we went to get information. And stumbled on a cute little Jack Russell mix female. She was about 2 yrs old and surprisingly quiet for a JR cross surrounded by cages of large and very loud dogs.
When we came home we told my husband about her, just out of interest and not expecting anything. Without a moment's thought he turned to me and said, "Well, go get'er". The kids and I all stopped in our tracks and asked him if he was joking. Nope, he said. We didn't believe him! But he assured us multiple times that he was dead serious.
Within 10 minutes we were all in the car, driving to the SPCA.
Sadly, the JR girl was already adopted. We looked around but did not find anything that was quiet enough for our household and went home disappointed. The rest of the weekend was rather quiet.
On Monday, while at work on a break, I looked at their web site to see if any new dogs have come in and stumbled on a cute little Black Lab cross puppy. Now, we were NOT getting a puppy!!! Oh, but he was so cute, I just had to show my husband. He told me to go check him out.
Right after work I rushed to SPCA again (I'm getting to be on 1st name basis with all the people there ;-)) and asked for Alpine. He was still available. Someone came with a bundle of black fur and put it in my arms. I must admit, I was not prepared and fumbled with my keys and wallet so as not to drop the pup. I looked down at the "bundle" and he looked me straight in the eye, put his nose on my chin and just stayed that way for a good 10 seconds. Then he licked my chin and I felt that last link in the chain tighten around my heart. I was done.
Hunter is 8 weeks old and is supposed to be a Black Lab/German Shepherd cross, but he looks about 95% BL, except for his little white patch on the chest.
He's been with us for two and a half days and it's such a joy to have a dog at home again. Hunter came to us a little malnourished, as evidenced by his huge tummy, protruding ribs and scrawny limbs, but this morning when I took him for his pee break I realized he has already changed. His tummy is trimmer, legs straighter and there is a lot more meat on him. He has been very good at not having (too many) accidents at home, as long as we keep to a tight schedule of taking him outside at the right times. At night he sleeps right through with no accidents. He is also a very smart pup. On Tuesday (not even 24 hrs after bringing him home), I came to visit him at lunch time and took him for a walk. He already knew where home was and turned into our driveway even though I planned on going right past.
He's also been meeting new people, neighbors and local pets with confidence and a wagging tail. We've been taking him places and going on rides and he is quiet and interested. I am so proud of him! I'm sure he's going to keep us very busy for the next year or so but I am so looking forward to teaching and training him and just having him around for a long, long time!
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