Our Family is Growing!

Or, For the Love of Dog

Or, Why I Wasn't Blogging Last Week

I had a hard time choosing a title for this post, if you couldn't tell. And, don't think I was lounging at Branson hotels all week. No, I was on my toes. Here's the story:

I've always loved dogs. I don't remember much about our first dog. She was a beagle (mix?) named Sam. She was older- she wasn't a puppy- and didn't like my sister much, though I didn't have a problem with her, nor she with me. We gave her back to her previous owner when she nipped my little sister (about 3 at the time) more than once. We got our first puppy when I was in first grade from a shelter. Her name was Lady, and she wasn't exactly one... I mean, she was female, but she didn't act like a lady! She pulled hard at her leash and chewed our furniture (and my favorite teddy bear!) among other things. But I loved her.

Then we moved to Hawaii, and I had to give her up. Hawaii has no rabies on the islands... and to keep it that way, any dog entering the islands at the time had to stay in a 6-month quarantine. We didn't want to put our year-old puppy through such a long ordeal in a kennel, so she had to find another home.

For the three and a half years in Hawaii, we didn't have a dog. Does that mean I gave up my love? Not at all- in fact, this was the time it was fueled the most. I studied dogs. I could name any breed I saw. I dragged my parents to dog shows (of which there really weren't too many of in Hawaii.) I read "Which Breed is Right for You?" Over and over, picking out my new theoretical puppy.

Not long after we moved back to the mainland, getting a puppy was one of the first orders of business. We ended up with a springer spaniel puppy adopted at an event at a local PetSmart, though I had wanted with the year-old Gordon Setter also at the event. Our new round puppy ended up being a good dog. I convinced my family to nam her Millie- after Bush Sr's dog whose book I had read.

Our Millie lived about as long as her namesake, and had to be put down a couple months ago. All in all, she was around just over half my life.

That's my dog history. Since being married, I've dragged Josh to a couple dog shows, and rattled off all the unusual breeds we've seen. (To be fair, I've gone to more car shows with him than he has dog shows with me :-P ) I've always known I'd want a dog of my own, and we wanted to wait until we had a house before getting one, with the benefit of a yard and the realization- who wants to housetrain a puppy in a third-floor apartment?

We discussed breed options, and settled on a list of choices- but an Australian shepherd was at the top of the list. I had been casually watching craigslist and Petfinder for adoptable pets meeting our criteria when I saw him.

"Him" is Casey, our new purebred Australian shepherd. He's got lots of hair, lots of energy, and lots of eager-to-please love in him! He's very smart, but his previous owners haven't spent time training or loving on him, so we hope to be able to work on that as soon as possible. He's about a year and a half, we think. When I see him from afar (which isn't often, as he's always at my heel or in my face, ready to play or help with whatever I'm doing), I'm taken aback by his blue-merle beauty. Can't wait to get this kid outside at the park with a frisbee! He's gonna love it!



More Casey Pictures!