COVID Puppy

When we tell people we got a puppy they say "Oh you got a COVID puppy." So not only are we doing house projects like everyone but we are also getting a puppy like everyone else.

If "Now Me" had told "January Me" that we were getting a puppy I would have not believed it. I have a history of being VERY afraid of dogs. Well, one of my New Year's resolutions this year was to get over my fear of dogs and the best way to get over a fear is to be exposed. Also, my kids loved Charlie's dog so much that they started asking for a dog, well, mainly James and Lynnlee. Especially Lynnlee because she formed a bond with Rex,  Charlie's dog, and she really wanted a puppy. Then to add to that, if you read my girls camp post I had the foreshadowing of Lynnlee wanting a puppy. She was really emotional in Once I Was a Beehive when the dog went missing. At that moment a switch flipped inside me and I was totally open to getting a dog. I knew that the one we wanted was probably too expensive though. I thought I would use that reason to the kids to put off getting one for awhile though. So while Marshall was on his back packing trip I pulled up KSL classifieds and showed Lynnlee how expensive puppies and tiny dogs are. The problem was that every day we would check and a good deal would get posted  so that didn't help my argument. Lynnlee really tried to talk me into getting a dog while Marshall was gone and that would have been a huge surprise because he didn't know I had changed my mind about having a dog. I knew it would be better to talk it out with him first though and be on the same page.

Once he got home we told him we wanted a dog and he was shocked. He wondered what happened to his wife while he was gone. 😂 He was on board after a few days and he started looking at KSL classifieds. One Saturday we found the perfect puppy in Farmington and they were willing to meet in Salt Lake. It was all too good to be true....perfect price, puppy had all the extras stuff with it, shots up to date....basically a dream. Then once they asked for payment upfront we knew it was a scam. So that was sad but thankfully we didn't fall for the scam.

Monday came around and I was sitting in a PTA training and I got a text from Marshall with this picture. He said we could get this puppy and we could pick it up that night. It wasn't the mix we thought we wanted but it fit the list of being a tiny dog, hypoallergenic, non shedding, gentle, good with kids, smart, etc. We thought we wanted a Shizu-poodle mix. This was a Bichon-poodle mix. Tiny dogs sell SO fast on KSL so the fact Marshall got through to the breeder and she was holding him for us was amazing. We both felt good about it.

Marshall, Lynnlee and Taggart drove to Lewiston and met the breeder at the Pepperidge Farm factory. He was as cute in person. The breeder has been doing this for years so she helped answer all of the questions we had as first timers. We found out Anthony's brother got a puppy from this same breeder a few years ago and she has been a very good dog for their family. That helped us feel better about everything.

I talked to them on their two hour drive home and we brainstormed names. We finally settled on Chewbacca, "Chewie" for short. He is 8 weeks old, 3 lbs. His fur is so soft.

He slept in a box the first night and slept the whole night and stayed dry.

From there on out he moved to the crate. He whines when he needs to go to the bathroom and he got up through the night the first two weeks to go to the bathroom but now he goes all night without needing to go.

Here is the picture I posted on the girls camp post. Lynnlee is Chewie's best buddy and it reminds me so much of Phoebe in the movie.

The minis have shared my fear of dogs but they are liking him more and not as afraid as they get used to him.

Katelyn and Drew got to meet him at James's soccer tournament.

His first bath was a success. Only took a few minutes and he didn't bark or freak out.

 

Lynnlee went shopping with me to find some puppy stuff. This bone looks like it could go with the dog from the movie Sandlot.

 

Since we are completely new to all of this I have read a few dog training books. I have enjoyed the books from Caesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer. The interesting thing is how much I've learned about parenting while learning about dog training. My eyes have been opened to my lack of discipline and having control over my kids. So it's been good to work on that and get a handle on my own kids and a puppy.

The book also has taught me a lot about dog psychology, intentions, good and bad habits. I realized a lot of my fear of dogs is from dogs who are poorly trained. A dog jumping up on me and it's paws reach my shoulders is the worst. Does anyone like that? So when that happens to me I realize it's not a fear but just a dislike. Also dogs that just bark a lot and growl can be annoying or intimidating. When dogs are trained well I have no problems and fears. When I'm out running and a dog is running at me and barking it's hard to know if it is going to circle me, bite, sniff, or what. Those moments scare me and I'm still figuring that out but I'm making steps in the right direction with my New Year's resolution.