A Puppy

We've been flirting with the idea of getting a dog for a while. Living out in the country, it seems like a really good idea, specifically because everyone else out here has a dog....or three, it appears, and they seem to go for group jaunts through the neighborhood pilfering what they can from other people's (our) yards. But we weren't sure, and we tossed the idea around and hemmed and hawed, and then a week or so ago, we got a little more serious, and i started looking online for a good guard puppy. We thought we would rather get a puppy so that Stanley (the kitten) would have a better chance of becoming friends with the new guy or girl.

Yesterday or the day before, i found an ad online for free puppies that were lab and who knows what mixed.

One of the example puppies looked like this.





And here's the mom.






I thought they were really beautiful. The mama is reportedly 60-70 lbs and an excellent watch dog. So today after having some family over until early in the afternoon, we left to meet and pick out our new puppy at the Cleveland Wal-Mart.

We drove around for a while and finally found where all the puppy sellers and givers away were stationed, and we parked where we thought our puppy was located. As it turned out, we didn't find our lady, but we pulled up next to a pick-up where black lab puppy mixes were being given away.

They look a lot like this puppy.




I did not realize how very much my husband liked black labs until today. But now we have two. Silly me.

There were 4 or 5 puppies left when we got there, and they were all asleep. The first one to wake up was very cute with a little white beard and some white markings on his chest. So we picked him. I was holding and loving on him when i noticed my husband wasn't finished looking and picking. Before you know it, i hear myself saying, "...if you're sure you want two...." The second puppy is more rotund and he won our hearts when he fell asleep with his head in the food bowl - and then on the way to one of us, got too tired and lay down in the water. =) The second one looks almost perfectly exactly like the picture i posted. The only difference is he's a little rounder, and the slight color change on the inside of the eyebrows is a little more gray.

I have named the round one Barnabas - or Barney for short. The name just fit him. He's adorable. The first one, who is James' favorite, is temporarily named Samson. That could change. Samson is a little more lively and outgoing than Barney. We think they'll make great partners.

One of the reasons we wanted a puppy was so that Stanley would have a friend. I'm not sure Stanley likes our plan. But he's warming up to it....i think. At first Stanley arched his back and would have nothing to do with them. Then he started looking for some other place to be....snob. But then he got more and more curious, and for about 10-15 minutes, i had the puppies sleeping soundly on my lap and Stanley curled up purring on my shoulder....and i didn't get scratched at all. So i think we might be on to something.

I told James on the way home that since the puppies get to be partners, that now we have to get Stanley a kitten. He looked at me funny.

James is now in the shed building puppy quarters. I found some carpet in the attic for the puppies and the kitten. Later, we'll go into town and buy a very large bag of Puppy Chow. These guys can eat!