Puppy Time

We'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family....

 Kelly

Kelly is a 3 month old border terrier/labrador retriever mix that we adopted on Saturday from the Willamette Humane Society.  She is a wonderful puppy and has brought much joy to us in the short time she has been with us so far.

 

Bryce and I have often ventured out to the humane society or "puppyland" as we call it and have dreamed about having a dog, but the timing was just not right for us and we had not met a dog that we liked.  Any dog person (or cat person for that matter) can tell you that the right puppy will "speak to you" and you will know.  I suppose it's the closest thing to love at first sight.

Well it was definitely love at first sight for Bryce on Saturday when we went browsing through the dog area. We recognized her as part border terrier, because Bryce's mother has a pure bred.  Bryce asked if we could take her into a visiting room and well, long story short they took to each other (and so did I) and we went home with puppy in tow.

The humane society was so incredible. They gave us several bags of food, a free crate and helped us choose the right treats and toys for her and the adoption fee included registration for puppy kindergarten.

The first night was difficult for her and when we tried to crate her at bed time she had a fit.  So we set up potty pads in our bedroom and let her stay in her doggy bed on the floor next to us.  There were lots of accidents that day and night, but on Halloween we began immediately training her to ring bells hanging from our sliding glass door when she needed to go out. 

Let me tell you!  That is one smart puppy!  We have now been virtually accident free for the last two days and nights due to Bryce's excellent training.  He has loved having her and being a "stay at home puppy daddy".  They go for walks, watch movies together and she hangs out in the den when he has to work on his writing and/or playing video games. And she sleeps all the way through the night snuggled up in our bed, mostly at my feet.

If you're not a pet person you can't fathom how much having a pet enriches your life.  I can literally feel my stress levels down and I grumble less when I get up for work in the morning because she is there to greet me at 5:30 am. Bryce has such a special relationship with  and gentle heart towards animals, especially dogs and you can see it in his relationship with Kelly.  I think it is also helping him feel like he is contributing more to our family.  He has been somewhat sad lately because finding work has been difficult.  Plus, it's excellent practice for babies...ha ha ha. 

We look forward to this new chapter in our life and encourage you to come meet Kelly if you are ever in the area.  Little puppies need to be socialized early on and she loves meeting new people.

MORE PUPPY PICTURES!

 Kelly loves Bryce's snuggie.

 BFFs

 Learning to love the crate.

 She loves to sleep on piles of blankets.

Her bowls are still a little big for her, but she'll grow into them.