Taking the Plunge

Well, we did it. We adopted a puppy. We have been talking about getting a dog for some time now. Mike and I used to own two dogs, Cerbie (a terrier mutt) and Bacchus (a pomerainian mutt), before our boys were born. However, when AJ, our oldest, started crawling and pulling on tails and ears, both dogs began acting out - biting, aggression, marking, destroying baby items. We didn't have enough "dog knowledge" to understand why this was happening, so we did what we thought was best for all involved - we found new, loving homes for both of them. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but I didn't have the skills needed to make the situation better.

Now, five years later, we have a 5-year-old, AJ, and a 2-and-a-half-year-old, Nate. We've had friends bring over their dogs, big and small, getting our boys used to dogs, being gentle, not approaching a dog we don't know, how to approach a dog, being gentle, etc. Over Christmas, we "boarded" a friend's Austrailian Cattle Dog, Sebastian, while they worked on getting their house in order. We kept him for a month. During this time, the boys fought over who got to feed him, they played with him until he fell asleep in the middle of the floor, exhausted, and learned on a gentle, 5-year-old dog who was used to being wrestled with by two older boys, how to be gentle. We decided we were ready.

Because we'd had such a good experience with Sebastian, we decided to get an Austrailian Cattle Dog, also known as an Austraillian Heeler. I began looking into breeders, getting cost estimations, including the cost of picking the dog up or having it shipped. We had hoped to get the puppy in the Spring to make housebreaking easier. Then, it happened.

The Miller Beach Humane Society got a litter of Heeler/Lab mixes, 5 boys, 1 girl, who were ready for adoption at 5 weeks. The mother bitch had weaned them at 4 weeks, and the human who took care of them was being foreclosed on and being forced to move. We had the opportunity to spend a lot less money for the type of dog we wanted and to give a home to an abandoned dog. Although it was several months earlier than we had planned, we bit the bullet and went to look at the puppies.

While I had been research breeders, I had also been reading up on raising a well-behaved dog. I watched The Dog Whisperer daily. When there was an episode on choosing and bringing home a puppy, I Tivoed it and watched it almost every day. When we went into that Humane Society, I knew what I wanted, what to look for.

Our timing was perfect. They had the whole litter in a play room to be exercised and socialized with some volunteers. At first, we just stood back and watched. Nate was more interested in climbing on the dogs' toys than the dogs, so we got to see how they felt about a toddler racing about.

One of the males, the biggest and most beautiful of the litter, was HYPER. He bounded everwhere he went, he tugged on Nate's coat, he wrestled with his siblings, he attacked toys. Before I learned what to look for, his "puppy exhuberance" and beautiful looks would have been enough for me, and we would have brought home a dog that would have destroyed our house. We didn't even pay attention to him.

The other males and the female were much more calm. After about an hour, we had narrowed it down to two, one male and the female. We asked the volunteers to put the other four in their cages so we could evaluate them by themselves. What a great idea! What, in the larger group, looked like calmness in the male turned out to be fear. He hid in the corners, startled easily with loud noises, and peed a couple of times when approached. The female, however, engaged in play, relaxed when held, and happily chased after Nate. She took to corrections with no aggression. She was the one!

Of course, we had gone there with a name picked out for a male given how many there were, so we had no name to give her when we filled out the application. I had looked forwarded to having a Loki, the Viking God of Mischeif. We'd have to start brainstorming.

The Humane Society told us it would take a few days before the application was approved. they weren't kidding. They called Sebastian's vet, as he was still with us at the time, to ensure he was up-to-date on his shots The director visted our house and looked at our yard to ensure she was going to a good home. Finally, five days after we decided to get her, we were approved!

One problem, though. We had a dog in the house, and she was being de-wormed. Apparently, most puppies are born with worms, something I had learned. So, we had to wait to bring our princess home. It was a good thing, too, because we had no name. We have always used mythological names for our animals, so we needed time to research.

What are we going to call her?