Crazy for Daisy

We have been terribly busy lately, what with a new puppy and all. Going out with Daisy is like traveling with a rock star. She is irresistable to just about everyone, and now she knows more people in our neighborhood than we do. A puppy sure is a conversation starter, I can tell you that. The Kid brought her to our parish picnic where I found him just about constantly surrounded by a group of girls all smitten with Daisy.

I'm helping the Kid learn how to train his pup. She's still doing well with training, although we found that she pees on anything which is flat and happens to be laying on the floor, which is great if it is her training pad but not so great when it is a new play tent belonging to the Princess. We decided that between potty breaks outside, she can hang out on the back deck, which works out fine and keeps the carpet (and other things) from accidents.

Meet Daisy!

Daisy came to us in an unexpected way. By that I mean that we weren't exactly in the market for a new puppy, but well, these things happen. We were on a camping trip and it was when we stopped at a local little General Store that we met two young ladies who were trying to find a home for the pup. Immediately, I fell in love with the puppy, and so I talked it over with busywoodshophubby about whether it would be possible to consider taking her home with us. Being the good and compassionate hubby he is, he said it was up to me.

Let me back up a little. This week was the one year anniversary of losing one of our dachsie pups, Shiloh (7/16/06) and ever since then, my son has been asking and begging (and asking and begging!) for a new puppy. I suspected that he needed something to fill that gaping hole in his heart that has been there since losing Shiloh. Last summer, when he wanted a new puppy right away, I explained to him that he needed to take some time to grieve and how one dog just can't replace another. But, (and this is the real important part) that if he gave it enough time, one day would come along and he would be ready to love a new dog. A broken heart takes a long time to mend but when the time was right, I told him, we would know it.

I guess the time was right.

So we adopted her, brought her home and began the process of integrating her into our family. The first thing we needed to do was to introduce her to the other dogs. At first it looked like it was going to be difficult for the other two to accept her, but after only a day they were already playing and getting to know each other. I was glad that this part went so smoothly.

The next thing was finding a name for her. The Kid pondered possibilities, writing them down and trying to decide. Here were the other names he considered, in the order of most favorite: Tuesday, Lady, Charlotte, Sadie and Maggie. In the end, Daisy seemed to be the one which fit her the best.

The potty training is also going well. After potty training the dachshunds, which was an ordeal-- I wasn't prepared for how easy it could be with a different breed. Labradors are known for their intelligence and Daisy has not disappointed us. After only one day, she has consistently been going each time we take her to the lawn. I was very happy that she seems to be an easy and quick trainer.

Yesterday we took our first outing with her to PetSmart. We love PetSmart and other pet stores like it, because only there do you find other people who love animals as much as you do. Passersby nodded and smiled when they saw "The Kid" with his new dog. His grin from ear to ear was literally worth a million bucks. However, we got out of the store spending a "mere" $130 dollars.

On the way out of the store, The Kid decided on one last purchase. He thought that Daisy needed a tag. I found it interesting that he chose the big red heart tag, which confirmed to me that his heart was really and truly ready to love another dog. He had it engraved with her name and our phone number in case she is ever lost, which is hard to imagine since he's with her every second. Purchases in hand, we left the store, all set with every thing a little puppy's heart could desire.

It is nice to see The Kid so happy about a dog again. I am a firm believer that every boy needs a dog. It's a rite of passage and a time of their life that they will always remember, and when he is grown, he will look back with fondness for this time he spent with his special friend. In the meantime, I look forward to lots of happy days watching Daisy grow and my son growing up along with her.

Photo Friday

We hiked up to the lower falls bridge, about a quarter of a mile. The top of the falls is another mile, I wasn't interested in pushing a stroller all the way up there! The number of people out on a Friday afternoon all doing the same thing we were was incredible. It was shoulder to shoulder all the way up and on the bridge, everyone wanting the same photo spot.

It was a perfect day for an outing, the weather was perfect-- not too hot and a little breeze. If you can get past the traffic and all the other people, the nature part was worth the effort.