New Puppy

On July 19th, at approximately 4:30 pm., we brought home a new maltipoo puppy! This is a rare happening for us as you might have assumed after reading one of my earlier posts, "A Dog Named Sal". This all came about after my friend Stacey and I, with daughters in tow, visited Furry Babies Inc. which is located on the second floor of Cherryvale Mall. In case you are not familiar with this store, let me explain. As you walk past you see pinkish walls and the pink sign, Furry Babies. Who could resist? Look a tad closer and you'll see little cribs set up all over with super cute puppies of all kinds for sale! What a way to lure you in right? Not only that, it appears to be a glamor shop for pups. You can buy posh beds and fashionable clothes for you new furry baby, if you wish.
We decided to go in and take just a peek. Stacey quickly spotted an adorable female maltese. She was so cute and the salesman let us all go into the little room to play with her. Five minutes later, Stacey was in complete love. She was on the phone with her husband in a flash to see about possibly bringing her home. It just wasn't meant to be on that day. So we all walked away from the store thinking of that cute pup, wondering what family might buy her. Her excitement got me into thinking about getting a puppy. She can be dangerous that way. ;-) I thought maybe we could buy her and that way Stacey would still be able to see her. Drake has always wanted a dog, and we were thinking of it off and on but were never sure if we wanted to commit. The next day we went up to the store again, this time just our family. I wanted to show my husband the cute puppy. We talked and hesitated in the mall. It didn't feel right to make a rash decision, and we went home empty handed.
After that, I spent time searching online for a puppy because I figured it's kind of like kids, if you wait forever to have them, you probably never will. Is there ever a right time or perfect time? So I kept on searching. I have always liked the look of matipoos, and if we were to get a dog, it would have to be the non-shedding type. I searched many websites: petfinder.com, puppyfind.com, pups4kids.com, and many others. I knew I didn't want to drive very far to get a puppy or have to have it shipped to us, so I search for maltipoos that were close to our area. It was at puppyfind.com where I finally saw this cute, unique looking puppy from McHenry, IL. My husband spoke with the breeder, and we planned a visit. So on Sunday, the 19th of July, we made the trip and brought home our first puppy. Abbi was her name given by the breeder, but we have since settled on Bella. No, it's not a Twilight influence, really. We took the plunge and, though it hasn't been very easy so far, we are committed to doing our best. Our kids really enjoy her, but we all have a lot to learn. I hope that Bella will grow up with good manners and that is something that takes dedication.

Oh and more good news! Stacey did end up getting her puppy, the one at the mall! She was able to put a deposit down and get her the very same weekend we picked up Bella!


Here are some pics of our new addition!

This is the day we got her at 10 weeks old.

First bath

A Dog Named Sal

I don't consider myself to be a die hard animal/pet person. I did have a parakeet (I taught him how to say "pretty bird") and gerbils (once, one of them bit my thumb and woudln't let go) while growing up, but I could never have a cat or dog because I am allergic to them. Anytime I was in the presence of a cat or dog, my eyes would swell shut, hives would appear on my skin, and I would have trouble breathing. After a couple years of allergy shots, my symptoms were slightly improved. Now that I'm older, I think I have a lot more tolerance built up, and I usually don't have serious allergy problems any more. I still don't think we could have a shedding dog or a cat in our house though. This has caused some frustration with my kids and sometimes my husband. His dog of choice would be a Husky.

For years my son has asked if we could get a dog. He loves them so much. He begs and pleads with us to let him get one. He tells us how responsible he'll be with it. I know he would do a good job, and we have considered adopting a non-shedding dog in the past, but I know it would be that much more work. There would also be a lot of expenses involved. I don't think I want to deal with all that.

So in the meantime, the kids enjoy our neighbor's dog, Sally ;-) She is so sweet, and the kids love her! Whenever Sally's family has to go away for an extended period of time, they will ask Drake to come over and take her out to do her business and go for a little walk. The past couple times, the kids asked if they could let her in our house for a little while. She doesn't shed, and I have never had any allergy trouble being around her, so we let her in. It was odd to have an animial in our house, since we never really have. It was fun to watch what she did. If we ever get a dog, it will have to be like Sally.

The kids put a hat on her and took this picture. Isn't she cute!?