Sometimes a puppy is exactly what you thought you DIDN’T need, but it turns out it is the sweetest thing ever.

I know everyone probably thinks I’m crazy. I mean, why? WHY? get a puppy now? A puppy which is practically like having a baby. With the getting up in the middle of the night and the crying and the potty accidents. I know, it is crazy. I am crazy. But what’s one more thing added to a list of TEN MILLION THOUSAND things that I’m already responsible for.

Oh, in case you didn’t know. We got a dog. She is a Labradoodle. We named her Shelby. She is the cutest little puppy ever. Yes, I mean, EVER. Have I not talked to you about this dog? Let me tell you about this dog.

So, why on Earth did we do this? Well… we’d been planning to get a dog once we moved to Washington. The three of us (Matt, Reaghan and me) had been discussing breeds. Reaghan tends to have allergies to some kinds of dogs, so we wanted to be sensitive of that. But, I have to tell you, that I was probably the least excited person in the family about a dog. And so my story starts a few years back… well, where a few equals about 29.

This picture is of my sister and me and our favorite dog, Tippy. Tippy was awesome, y’all. We loved that dog so much! And, having a veterinarian for a dad, you’d think we’d have a pretty decent time with pets, right? WRONG. You guys, I’ve had so many pets I can’t even remember them all. In fact, this is a book of pets that I created when I was a kid… just to keep track of them!

I think this must be some sort of timeline. Like, on the left are the dogs, and on the right are the corresponding cats that were alive during the time we had the dogs. Maybe? Anyway, inside this book are pages of obituaries, as it were, for each of the cats and dogs that I had as a child.

Here is the entry that I made for Tippy. He was such a sweet dog. I can’t remember how long we had him. A few years I’d guess, although I’m not sure that he was alive by the time my younger brother was born, in 1983. Tippy went everywhere with Kristin and me. We grew up in a pretty wooded little town and there was a creek in our backyard. I can’t count the number of hours we spent outside playing with Tippy, exploring in the woods and playing by that creek. Tippy died from antifreeze poisoning. Which was really sad, y’all. I will never forget seeing my dog so sick in his little cage at the office while my dad did everything he could to save him. Kristin and I bawled our eyes out. I remember Mom and Dad telling us that he had died right before we had to go to ballet class. Our faces were so swollen from crying. We couldn’t help but laugh at ourselves when we saw our faces in the mirror.

So, after Tippy, no other dog could really fill his shoes. For me anyway. There was Rosie, that other little black dog – oh yeah, Snip, some other dog that got run over, maybe a few more in there and then the last dog my dad had, Sadie. And, by that time I wasn’t living at home any more. And, I had cats. No dogs.

No dogs… until now. So this all started when I heard one of Reaghan’s dance teachers telling someone about the ELEVEN Labradoodles that her family dog gave birth to. They were old enough to give away and she had several left. My sister had recently discussed getting another dog, so I asked Wendy to send me pictures of them and I would pass them along to my sister. OK, bad idea. Because seriously? HOW COULD YOU SEE THOSE CUTE PICTURES OF OUR DOG ABOVE AND NOT WANT TO COME HOME WITH ONE!? Obviously, I couldn’t.

I called Matt in Washington. We discussed it. He said it was up to me since I’d be the one dealing with it. And I just thought about Reaghan, and how much she wanted a dog… I’m a softie I guess. Or a pushover, or something! But I couldn’t not get one. My sister got two they’re so darn cute! Kristin and I came up with a plan to surprise the kids with them on the Saturday before Easter when we were all going to be together at my Mom’s house. And I have to admit… it was so fun.

Don’t you just love the smile on her face? It really was cute. Here’s a video of the kids seeing their dogs for the first time. Notice Matt participating via Skype in the background. Ha. That cracks me up. Bear with me on this video. It was a bit chaotic with all the puppies running around!

Matt was home two weekends later and got to meet her. He loved her instantly, too.

Despite the additional work that having a puppy has added to our lives, she’s been fun. She’s a good dog. She’s sweet and smart and has already learned a lot. Don’t get me wrong… she’s a puppy for sure! She loves to nip at your ankles and chew on my ottoman. But people, I LUBZ her! I do. I really do. I love the way she leans into you when she sits down, or how she loves to crawl into your lap when you’re sitting on the floor. The crawling into your lap thing might be a bit awkward when she weighs 70 pounds, but, I’ll take it. I never thought I’d feel this way about another dog. But she’s sweet and cuddly and just the diversion we needed to keep our mind off how much we’re missing Matt.

You can see a few more pictures of Shelby here on Flickr.

Tagged as: Kami, Pictures, Shelby, Video