Our New Puppy

Logan and our new puppy, Snoopy =)


Why did I get a new puppy? I have asked myself many times in the past 3 weeks. Our dog Caine passed away 2 Summer's ago. He was 12. They say he probably had heartworms and that's what caused some of his problems that led to his decline. He also had arthritis and cataracts. Anyway, I told the kids that we would eventually get a new dog. I have been reading about different breeds for quite some time off & on and for some reason I thought the time was right. Eddie has always wanted a Yorkie. I, personally, do not like them. Caine was half German Shepard half Chow and he was the perfect dog. Great with the kids and a great watch dog, he was big and everyone was scared of him. But I didn't want a big dog this time. I wanted a dog that would be big enough to withstand the kids torment but small enough to stay in the house and not be able to reach the counter tops. After looking around at the different breeds to fit our family and lifestyle I came up with 2 breeds in the size we were looking for. A Papillion and a Beagle. I could not find any Papillion's in our area. Found some online but the price was outrageous... $1,500 to $2,500, I don't think so! So, onto the Beagle it was. I found a guy in the paper selling them for $80. That was definitely do-able! So we went to look at them that afternoon. I really wasn't planning on getting one that day, just looking, but there was this one that just kept looking at me with these sad little green eyes. How could I not just hold him for a second? And of course once I held him I just couldn't put him back in the cage! I did try, but he kept looking at me! He was so pretty, chocolate brown with a little white on his chest and these beautiful green eyes. So I ask the guy if he'll take $60 and he says no...hey, it's worth a try, right? The reason I asked was because he didn't have papers. He said the Dad was registered and showed me the papers but the Mom was not, that's why he was not asking more for them. And since I really don't care about having an AKC or CKC registered dog I was fine with that. Sometimes I wonder if he's not mixed with something because of his coloring, but if he is that is fine too. The mixed breed dogs we've had in the past have always been the best dogs ever. We once had a Lhasa Apso and he went psycho on us!
So, we've had him for almost a month now. He will be 12 weeks old this coming weekend. So far, so good. The kids love him. And of course even though they said they would help I am the one who takes care of him. We're working really hard on crate training and potty training. He still yipes a lot when he's in his cage, especially if we leave, but is getting better. We don't put him in there often, only when we leave, when he eats or at night. The night thing hasn't worked very well though. He wants to sleep by me! And the potty training is coming along. He's only 11 weeks so I can't expect too much from him. More about that in the morning! It's almost 1 a.m., my kids are still awake and my left eye keeps twitching! Goodnight =)