Adding One More

I always knew there was someone missing in our family. 

We weren't planning on this.  The last thing I needed was another mouth to feed, more poop to clean up, and another one to scold.  But I just couldn't help myself.

We were planning on looking at getting a dog in spring or summer.  I looked into breeds.  I wanted a dog that was good with kids.  A laid back dog that was still very playful.  I wanted a big dog that would keep me company and watch over the house when Todd was on a hunting trip.  If possible I wanted a dog that wouldn't shed much.  I wanted a dog that was easy to train.  Perhaps one that didn't bark all day long.  I had a long list of wants.  I found all of those things in the Gooldendoodle breed and I also found a breeder that was perfect.  Her dogs were treated like family and were not kept in kennels just used for breeding.  They had the run of her five acre home.  They had ponds to swim in.  And WOW where they well behaved.  I knew I would be getting our dog from her eventually. 

The boys bugged me constantly about getting a dog and would make me pull up the breeder's website often just to look at the pictures of the beautiful dogs that we would eventually be getting.  When I went to the website this past week I saw that a 3 month old puppy had become available.  This puppy was sold a month ago but returned to the breeder when the owner decided she could not keep up with a puppy and her two young children.  The puppy was already potty trained, would sit and lie down on command, and was a very smart girl.  I just couldn't believe my good fortune.  When I told Todd about the dog he told me I should contact the breeder and find out more about her.  The breeder told me that there was already a long list of people interested in her.  I told her to add us to the list. 

Todd and I mulled it over for a long time.  Were we ready for a puppy?  Was Grace old enough to defend herself from a puppy?  Was this dog as great as she sounded?  Could we afford a puppy right now (this dog was not cheap)? 

The breeder told us that she had picked us out of the list of people and that if we wanted her we could have her.  We decided to take the leap and went to pick up our new puppy on Friday. 

This is Molly:

She is the best puppy I have ever met in my entire life.  We have hit the jackpot, ladies and gentleman.

She was an absolute angel for the hour and a half long car ride back to our house.  When we got home she and the boys tired themselves out in the backyard for a couple of hours until it got dark.

She is full of energy and life, and yet is able to calm down when playtime is over.

It was hard to get everyone to settle down for a picture.  The kids were SO THRILLED with their new puppy and Molly just wanted to run and run.  Joey held on to Grace and I tried to keep Molly by me for a quick pic.

After all that playing Molly was worn out.  When the boys went to bed Molly curled up on the floor and took a nap.  When it was time for bed we put Molly in her crate next to our bed and she slept right through the night.  She didn't whine or cry.  I was a little worried how she would adjust to our house as she had been juggled from place to place a bit, but she adjusted perfectly.

She even went trick or treating with us and waited patiently as the boys went up to the doors for their candy.

We had a huge group of kids trick or treating with us this year and she was so well behaved with all of them.  There was no jumping on them or chasing them.  She just walked along nicely and enjoyed herself.

Molly doesn't even seem like a puppy.  She has not had one accident in our house.  She goes to the patio doors and lets out a quiet little whine when she has to go potty.  She knows not to play bite when she is playing with the boys and she is extra gentle with Grace.  We have yet to really hear her bark.  The boys love being greeted by Molly when they come downstairs in the morning.  It just brightens their whole day.  She is a little doll.  Our whole family is in love. 

Welcome to the family, Molly!