The Big Cave In

Last Sunday we bought a puppy. We caved. The girls (especially Josie) have been asking, no, begging for a dog for years. We kept making excuses such as, not until you're older, not until the fence gets put up, not until the yard's ready etc. etc. Well, none of our conditions are met and now we're the owners of a canine. How did this happen?

I was away at a scrapbooking retreat and Nate took Josie to the pet store to pass the time. There they fell in love with this cute little Dachsund/ Cairn Terrier mix puppy who was so soft, cuddly and angelic. Aren't they all when they're confined to a cage? I came home from the retreat just as Nate and the girls were pulling out. "Hop in the truck," Nate said. "We're going to look at puppies." Josie announced. I just figured that they were heading out to give them something to do until I came home. Little did I know this was the third trip to the pet store.

Well, she won my heart over also once I saw her and the pathetic little looks the rest of the family were giving me. How could I be the cold-hearted witch and say no to my family? Besides I was well rested and relaxed after my retreat. I looked at how tiny this little puppy was, how tough could she be to take care of anyhow? And the next thing you know we're carrying her around the pet store while an employee is loading us up with dog food, toys, treats, teeth chews, fleece doggie jackets and yes, even a $50 dog brush!

It's been a week since we've had our little Butterscotch and I am wearing thin. It feels like I've had a newborn in the house what with the waking up in the early morning hours. The girls are already not living up to their bargain of helping take her outside to go potty which can last up to 30 minutes at times and is extremely painful given how cold it's been outside.

We're thankful Butterscotch, or Butter as I call her, is an easygoing puppy and so far has been relatively quiet (no howling or barking), very easy to train and is just a riot to play with. I'm hoping in the coming weeks my schedule will get back to normal again as I haven't had time for much else except be the dog trainer.