Meet our Horse, I mean, Dog

I never meant to buy a dog.  My life was too busy, we already had cats, blah, blah, blah.  A dog was not even in picture.  Wasn't even a dot in the picture.  Wasn't even a consideration, like, maybe what would make this picture better is a dog. 

Then we took the Padawan to the mall's pet store JUST TO LOOK and maybe, MAYBE, if the Padawan was good, we would get a dog out and play with it.  So, you can probably guess where this story is going.

We chose a dog to play with.  And he was a nightmare.  We put him back fairly quickly and the Padawan was disappointed.  So we decided to play with another dog and, this time, I chose the dog. 

I only have myself to blame.

We chose this one:

He is a Landseer Newfoundland and, at the time, he was going on three months old.  And he was the sweetest dog I'd ever come across.  A little too fond of chewing, but very nice.  We played with him and put him back...very reluctantly.

A few weeks later, we went back.  And he was still there, a little larger, a little more cramped in his tiny crate.  We played with him again, inquired about his price, and laughed in their faces when we heard what it was.  They asked what we would be willing to pay, we told them, and they laughed in our faces.  Then they told us his birthday, which is a date that is very significant to my husband and I...which made it seem like fate.  But fate would have to wait for that price.

Fast forward another week.  Still there, little bigger, little more cramped.  Budged more on the price, but nowhere near ours.

Fast forward another couple of weeks.  I was out of town for work for the evening.  Little did I know that my husband was paying another visit to our friend, who we had already named Bailey.  When he arrived, the pet store people knew what he wanted and offered the dog at our price.  And threw in a collar and leash and food.  I got home and there he was, thirty lbs. of almost five month old puppy.

So, fast forward again, and we have all (barely) survived to Bailey's first birthday.  It has been quite the journey.  We've survived house training, crate training, obedience training, everyday vacuuming, his love of water and mud, his incessant need to eat everything, and, probably as a result of the last thing, a bout with a major case of upset stomach. 

And quite the growth spurt.  Here is our tiny puppy with Mr. 31 at 7 months.  Keep in mind that Mr. 31 is 6'4, so he is not a tiny guy.

And yes, his food dish is on a bulk package of toilet paper.  It made for neater eating until we invested in an actual raised tray for him.

And here is our little puppy about a month ago, again with Mr. 31 for size reference:

It's not a great pic of the dog, but you can get his size.  And he's grown since then.  Yes, we mistakenly bought a small horse when we thought we were getting a dog.  And he grows until he is over two years old.

But we love our newest addition and, even after less than a year, can't imagine life without him.  Although it would be probably be cleaner....and involve far less dog chow.

And for kicks, here's a photo of me and the dog:

And one of him giving me the "hey lady, stop taking my picture and play tug with me" stink eye: