Well, we did it again.
For a while now, Jason and I have been talking about getting another dog. Bullet is great- he's just not a "kid" dog. Randy is quick to remind everyone that he's the "laziest couch potato," which is pretty much true. Bullet follows me around and could care less about kids or games kids want to play. Our kids love dogs. Jason and I thought we could buy into the dream of a dog that would love them back.
But our talk remained just that- talk. Until last week.
One of Jason's co-workers found the "perfect little dog" at the park. Since she already owns 3 dogs, her husband said the park dog could stay a week, then it was going to a shelter. After posting signs in the neighborhood, shelter and vets offices, the owner never came forth. Jason and I thought we could solve two problems at once- a home for this dog and a dog for our kids.
So, a cute little black dog came over for a visit. Now, he looks like he's going to stay. After marking our couch, the wall upstairs and a chair, he focused right on our kids. If they kneel down and call him, he runs right to them. He sits on their laps and lets them cuddle him. In fact, petting this dog was the only thing that calmed Randy down enough to do his homework yesterday. He hasn't had accidents since his first 10 minutes here and hasn't chewed anything. He's been a good little dog and I'm glad he's here.
Of course, we had to agree on a name for him. Randy nominated "Lucky" and everyone agreed. Well, everyone but Lucy. (Anyone surprised?) She wanted to name him "Jellybean." Even though the family vetoed that idea, she insisted that's his name. He comes to her when she calls Jellybean. So we told her that could be his middle name.
Welcome to the family, Lucky Jellybean Welker.
7 comments:
i love that there are people out there willing to take in these shelter dogs. i just watched an oprah episode the other day about puppy mills and the inhuman treatment of animals and i cried. i am glad that you have 2 dogs (as do two of my sisters) so that i can justify not wanting any. dave and i have always said we will wait until it is a bargaining chip with our kids.
on a side note- tell lucy that i like the name jellybean. i think i had a hamster named jellybean.
congrats on the new addition!
You are a brave woman...I don't know how you do it?!
Oh...and "thank you" in advance for all the grief my kids are gonna give me once they find out you let your kids have 2 dogs!! I think I will hang on to that mean mom crown a little longer thank ya! :)
Awww! He's a cutie! We've got the pet-hungers too over here! Dave really wants a shorthaired mini-dachsund. Didn't you guys have one? What do you think? Was it a good kid-dog?
I didn't even know you guys had one dog! The last one I remember was Ginger. That's exciting new addition though and how fun the kids love him so much.
We have been talking a lot more lately about getting a dog mostly because Brandon is so scared of them and we want him to get over that. We'll see though. Still feels a little overwhelming to do at this point.
Great post, Karen. I'm glad the kids love him so much and that he loves them back.
Anyone want a greyhound? (Kidding!!)
Susan - Dachshunds are adorable but have problems so beware. Especially the females - very skittish and piddle on the floor when people say hello or when men come close. They can also have back problems. Talk with Karen about breed selection to fit your family personality; she's done a ton of research and can recommend books/direction.
If you are interested in getting a dog, I recommend a couple of things first.
1. www.dogbreedinfo.com is a great website with a TON of info and quizzes to help match you to the right dog.
2. Read "Why We Love the Dogs We Do: How to Find a Dog that Matches Your Personality" by Stanley Coren.
3. Do NOT fall for the first cute face you see. Ginger, our dachshund, was adorable. But the wrong dog for our family. Might have been fine somewhere else, but not for us.
4. Get an older dog. Usually house broken and past the teething age. This usually means a shelter dog. But there are a lot of great dogs there.
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