our trip to charleston got cancelled…
8 / 30 / 2009Because of this:
A complete spur of the moment kind of decision.
Well…that’s not ENTIRELY true…
We’ve been talking about getting another puppy – a chocolate lab - for Maddie for almost a year. See, Maddie acts like a cat. She plays like a cat. She prefers cat toys…and when she gets around other dogs…she’s lost. She holds her paw up at them like she’s batting at a mouse.
It’s quite embarrassing.
The other half of our logic said: When we start having children…the two pups will entertain each other instead of Maddie vying for all of the attention because, well, frankly, the cats are boring.
Yesterday afternoon while we were busy eating our “linner” (tomato sandwiches…natural cheetos…lemonade…), the idea of getting a puppy came up again.
Tim: “We need to either get a FREE ONE or a CHEAPER ONE.”
Maddie was a p-r-e-t-t-y couple of pennies. Purebred. Great bloodline.
And now has more feline qualities than we’d care to admit.
Me: “But…we already said it would cost more in the long run if we ended up getting a dog with lots of health problems…”
Tim: “I guess we could probably swing $500.”
I jumped on google and typed in “chocolate labs Georgia” and clicked on the first breeder website that popped up.
And they had a puppy.
Who became available to take home on August 27.
A fully registered AKC female chocolate lab.
For $500.
I looked up at Tim all, “YOU WANNA PUPPY?!?”
So I jump on the phone and called the breeder to make sure the little orange collared puppy hadn’t been claimed…cause from our previous experience with three failed attempts to get a golden retriever, we figured we had a better chance of it snowing tomorrow than for this little one to be available.
But she was.
We said we’d take her.
And brought her home today.
Her name’s Alexis.
Lexi – for short.
It was fate
She’s beautiful!
She’s cute! I’m totally against buying animals, but I kinda see your point that maybe a stray would get sicker than a pure-breed.
LOVE HER! I grew up with purebred labs and they are the best. She is adorable. Good reason to cancel the trip. How is maddie handling this so far?
She is very cute! I hope you realize what you are getting yourself into. Labs are very social and demand a ton of attention, especially when young. I could give you a bunch of advice, but you probably have already done your research. What many experts won’t tell you, however, is how exasperating the first two years can be. Labs are totally full of mischief for two years. High energy. Will eat ANYTHING! (Go ahead and stock up on a supply of generic TV remote controls, so you’ll have them ready when she decides to eat one for a snack.) The good news is….at two years old they turn into the best dog ever. Good luck!
)
She is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations on your newest fur-kid!
crnnoel: thank you! Yes, too many things just “fell into place” for us not to get her.
Breeza: our cats are rescues – and we considered getting a dog as well, but…she just kind of… happened. She came with a microchip, first set of shots and deworming… kind of like a package deal…
Shannon: Really? Got any tips? Maddie’s doing pretty well…she’s starting to act like a “big sister” and now alerts us whenever Lexi makes a noise in her crate…we’ll see how she does once she realizes that SHE’S NOT LEAVING.
thepoolman: we definitely have a good idea as to what to expect. Her potential “bad habits” are similar to our golden retrievers…along with her “I don’t wanna grow up” attitude. We’ll definitely have to keep a close eye on her, that’s for sure.
blackbyrd: thank you! We’ll be posting plenty of pictures, cause she’s going to grow FAST!
Congratulations on the new baby, shes a cutie! Can’t wait to hear how Maddie interacts…look at the size of those paws!!!! Have fun
bolognaball: I KNOW! Her mom is 70 pounds…her dad is 90. NINETY POUNDS. That’s a lot of dog…
Maddie’s “mommy” side is coming out…very cute to watch.
omg SO CUTE!!!!
OMG! I’m so jealous! That’s the dog that I’ve been wanting for years! Awesome, awesome, congrats!
My family used to train labs for hunting. Start from the beginning to show them you are in charge other wise it could be a disaster. They are one of the most easily trained dogs though and learn quickly. See the movie Marley and Me and hope you didn’t buy a Marley. Which we have only had one of those.
Ohhhh, she’s beautiful!! I so want a dog. Not happening though.
Congratulations on your new puppy! She’s exquistely adorable! Charleston can wait – it will be there when you’re ready to go!
Lauren: I know…the LOOK…with those EYES…it melts you every time.
Shannon: I did see Marley and Me…and it made me tear up – on a plane, no less. And, I am PRAYING she isn’t a Marley…DON’T YOU GO JIXING US!!
I think she’s already been told “no” for eating leaves, chomping off the top of a mushroom that I had to fish out and chewing on the baby gate. And it’s only day one.
…wait…no…let me add trying to chew on the cabinet AS I WAS TYPING THIS.
bevchen: Is the timing not right for a dog? I know how that goes…Tim and I went through that for about three years until we got Maddie and every time we saw a puppy it was SO HARD not to take them home.
Peggy: True…Charleston WILL be there – I was looking forward to going…but apparently this was supposed to happen instead. We’re big believers on if things “fall into place” without forcing it…it’s the right thing to do at that moment.
Congratulations! It’s amazing how things work out.
Same thing happened with us and our second dog as well. I’m so glad we did too, since he is the biggest fan of our baby. Getting the puppy also helped us get ready for a baby that was to come in the future.
Good luck!!
oh.how.cute! i’m not into dogs but darn that one could break my heart
franzi
Lexi is precious! I love labs! They are so smart and expressive. Looking at her face, she’s all that AND a bag o chips! I have a black lab named Salem, I am still head over heels in love with her (7yrs now). Congratulations, can’t wait to read all the blogs about her and your adventures.
Angelia: Salem! What a perfect name! She is already testing us…so it’s definitely going to be interesting.
OMGoodness! Look at those eyes! They are just so sweet!
Chell: She’s definitely a cutie – a handful – but a cutie.
I live in a 2 room flat. And with my new job I will be out of the house from 7am til 7pm every week day. The boyfriend also works full time. It just wouldn’t be fair on a dog to be stuck in such a small flat alone for all that time.
bevchen: defintely a smart choice, with those kind of hours. Whenever you DO come to a point where you can add a puppy, you’ll be an excellent fur-parent. I can tell just by your reluctance to get one now.
Hey Jess! Your new ‘baby’ is precious too.
I have two labs (brother and sister, Jack and Rylee) and an Alaskan Malamute named Gus. Gus is the oldest (6). Jack and Rylee will be 5 in January. And the new grand-dog, Stella – golden retriever.
I must warn you, Labs are major chewers until they turn 2 or so. Then they slow down on the chewing but never completely stop. Jack chewed down two trees and about 5 bushes before he turned one. Rylee chewed 15 slats down off the wood privacy fence in the backyard. Still can’t put cushions on the patio furniture.
They are really sweet and smart, but love to chew stuff. Congrats and good luck with the training. Keep us posted.
starwoodgal: TWO TREES?! Oh boy… We’re working on teaching Lexi what is ok to chew and what is not (clothes, cabinets, Maddie’s ears, the cat’s tails, baby gates, blankets….). She also likes to shred things – like tennis balls and furry toys…and she’s learning that’s a no no…. Maddie liked to chew A LOT as a puppy, too…somehow we still have all of our furniture in tact – the worst she did was chew off part of the molding by the front door and then the door frame in the bathroom…