For the last 11 months, we have been a family without a dog. Matt and I both agree we are dog lovers and would eventually get another dog. I had a lot of guilt in this department, I felt like I was replacing Toby. I know this wasn't the case but in the end he was really sick and I really questioned the care I gave him and if I had done everything I could do...it was not easy making the call, but it wasn't fair to let him suffer any longer.
Back in September while the Jetta was getting the tires rotated and balanced, Abigail and I walked over to Petland. She absolutely LOVED looking at the different puppies. We got to snuggle with a few different puppies and her favorite of the day was this little Chihuahua. Abigail named him Mickey.
I was not ready for a puppy. Petland seemed like a good "fix" for Abigail, who was ready to welcome a new dog into our family. I did ask how much Mickey cost, $1300. WHAT? A dog can cost more than our mortgage? No thank you. Because these dogs cost so much, I had no problem saying good-bye to them. Abigail wanted to way visit more to often than we ever went. Instead we started praying for the dogs we were visiting and we prayed for a dog 'somewhere out there' that would be the perfect dog for our family.
Over Christmas I was discussing with Matt's cousins about how Abigail told me she wanted a puppy for Christmas. Her actual description was her version of Lady and the Tramp, when Darling opens the present and Lady jumps out. It turns out Jerome & Chastity's dogs just had a liter of 9 on December 12th. The dad is a Labrador and the mom is a Lab-Weimaraner mix. They planned to only keep one of the nine so Matt and I chatted, and it was the perfect opportunity. (This picture to the right is Matt & Abigail with Jerome & Chastity's boys, Dylan & Dalton. Dylan is ONLY 14yo and is a good few inches taller than Matt, who is 6'1". Although Dylan likes University of Georgia, Matt is no so secretly hoping Dylan will be recruited by Auburn University.)
On our way back home from our trip to Florida for the WDW Marathon on January 14th I got a text from Chastity. It was a sad text. Turns out the momma dog Ellie got into some bones, one punctured her stomach and died the weekend before. Chastity was doing her best to feed the nine puppies with a blended mixture of dry milk, water and dog food. It wasn't easy so she said we were welcome to come and select a puppy. We went late on Friday the 18th and the three of us had a difficult time choosing which puppy to welcome into our home.
It took a few days to name this little guy but we settled on Brewer. The name reflects Matt's love for beer and our love for coffee, little did we know that Brewer also likes coffee!
At Brewer's first vet appointment he weighed under 6lbs. He has done well sleeping in his crate at night, not crying much at all. We definitely have a long road ahead of us in regards to potty training...
Brewer also got quite an introduction in Abigail's room, we had to teach him that none of the toys on Abigail's bed are chew toys. And at the exact moment I took the picture, Brewer turned to grab Abigail's Tramp. My favorite quote from Abigail was "He doesn't want to play with a toy. He thinks I am a toy!" #AbsMakesMeLaugh
QUESTIONS:
-Have you ever welcomed a new puppy into your home?
-What would be your best advice for families selecting a new pet?
