Ri-dog-ulous!

WELCOME HOME PIP!

Taking a rest...believe me, we all felt this tired at the end of the day.

Ben is actually HOLDING the dog!

Cal is Pip's absolute favorite. She just jumps up in his lap and snuggles down anytime he's around.

Ben is SMILING and holding the dog...one for the books, truly!

The day before we got Pip...Seth thought he WAS the dog. When I asked him if he wanted to get out he told me, "No!"

So not to say that we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into...WE DID...however, the books lie and I urge you to talk to many, many dog owners about what to expect if you've never had a dog before...and a person you can call at all hours with answers to your dog questions would help too! Let's just get one thing straight from the get go...getting a puppy is NOT like a having a baby. Yes, it's similar in that you have to get up a few times at night but really that's about all. A puppy is more like a potty training toddler...you know, one you don't want to take out anywhere for fear of the dreaded accident. It restricts your outings for awhile until you're sure the child is not going to drop a bomb somewhere and leave you in a puddle with crap all over your hands. THAT'S more like a puppy! There's no comparsion to that instant bond from the baby you grew and carried for 9 months and whom you can now diaper and leave in one place and the baby will STAY there. The puppy, yeah she's cute and all, but we're going to have to forge that bond...hopefully quickly!

Having made that whole disclaimer above, we love our little bundle of baby girl puppy joy! She is SO cute and SO little. The breeder showed us one of her brothers who was literally 3 times the size of her. The drive to get her went seamlessly. We had my friends Amy and Scott come up the night before and stay over so we could leave by 7am. We got there by 9:30 and had her in her crate and in the car by 9:45. We had to make a pit stop on the way home because she pooped in her crate but we figured that was ok. However, we started thinking...the breeder let her pee and poop in her crate all day since he worked 12 hour shifts and she hadn't really been outside at all...how WAS house training going to work?! The book makes it seem like if you take your puppy out frequently (after eating, after naps, after playing, and every other 2 hours in between) that she'll be house trained in NO time. The first day she REFUSED to poop outside. She peed every time in the designated outdoor area but even after eating at 5:30pm the first night and taking her out every freaking half hour she still had not pooped at 11pm. We went to bed and of course, I woke up at 3am to a mess in her crate. Err.....The whining I can handle. After all I am the champion of How to Train your Baby to Sleep and have no qualms about letting anything or anyone cry as long as they must. Pip can miss those littermates all she wants, they aren't coming back anytime soon.

Day 2 with the puppy went a little better. She did poop outside (once in the designated area) and once not and once on the kitchen floor. Really what it comes down to is dedication and constant vigilance. She hasn't been messing in her crate unless it's at night. We're not sure WHY she won't go before we go to bed but she's been holding it FOREVER and then freaks out when she goes in her crate. I got up twice last night to take her out. The first time was at 11:30 when I heard her whimpering so strangely that she almost sounded like a bird chirping. She gets out there and doesn't go. Great. Back in the crate and back to bed. Again, at 1:30 and as I come down the stairs I smell it. She tricked me though, I thought I smelled poop, but she had somehow folding the pad so it just looked like it was a little dirt from being outside. So I took her outside and when she didn't go AGAIN, I came in and inspected her crate more carefully and sure enough she'd gone in there again. Does she hate me?!

Day 3 is going....she doesn't go in her crate in the day and has either been holding it or going outside for the most part. She has accidents mostly when I'm not paying attention...either because I can't or because I don't really get how this is supposed to work yet! Eric has done some extensive internet research so I'm hoping to have a new plan by tonight and a much better tomorrow!

On the flip side, the boys adore her. Cal is her best friend. She just totally loves him. I'm not sure if that usurps my alpha-mom status or what but it is cute to see them be so snuggly together. Ben held her and patted her when Pip arrived home but has cooled off since. He hasn't held her again and doesn't like when she chases after him. Seth is on and off. He has moments where he'll go right up to her and wave and say "Hi" and make a P sound. He'll pat her and pull her ears (ouch!) or sometimes he'll freak out if she's running around with him or just comes up to him. So we're working on intergrating Pip into the family. I just hope we all figure it out soon!