I know what you're thinking. Catherine, you have four kids, and your husband is getting ready to deploy, perhaps this isn't the optimal time to add another piece to the chaotic jigsaw puzzle that is your life. I hear you (and the other people who have also voiced this concern). I do understand the concern, but I think that with some of the emotional unrest and familial upheaval we're hurling rapidly towards, a dog will be somewhat centering and therapeutic. The bigs will have some extra responsibility, we'll have a sweet little dog to cuddle and spoil while Will is gone, and she just might help A to deal with some of her big emotions as she transitions into middle school (How on earth did middle school show up so quickly?).
I know that many of my friends and family are huge advocates of animal rescue. I am, too! I wanted nothing more than to offer a loving home to a dog in need. I am sorry to say that we failed at our attempt to go that route. It wasn't from lack of effort on my part, so I do hope we'll be forgiven. I've been searching for a while. I've scoured dog rescue websites, placed applications (always a few too far down the list to get the dog requested), I've gone through the process of having references called (Shout out to my amazing references! I love you guys!) as a means of being pre-approved for a dog, and I've made multiple attempts to take in dogs in need of re-homing. I also found that it can be hard to rescue with small children in the home. So many of the dogs were listed with the caveat that they should go to either childless homes or homes with older children. I hope that our next dog will be a rescue or even a foster.
We have chosen a very loving breeder, who clearly cares for all of her puppies and their parents. A friend recently picked up a puppy from her farm and had such a lovely experience that we felt comfortable going through her, too. Today, we met our sweet puppy! Her name is Luna Lovegood Kousma. Her name is an obvious homage to Harry Potter for us. I know that Lovegood sounds a bit sketchy (something that Will pointed out) if you're not a fan of HP. I promise, there's nothing untoward going on here. :)
I know that many of my friends and family are huge advocates of animal rescue. I am, too! I wanted nothing more than to offer a loving home to a dog in need. I am sorry to say that we failed at our attempt to go that route. It wasn't from lack of effort on my part, so I do hope we'll be forgiven. I've been searching for a while. I've scoured dog rescue websites, placed applications (always a few too far down the list to get the dog requested), I've gone through the process of having references called (Shout out to my amazing references! I love you guys!) as a means of being pre-approved for a dog, and I've made multiple attempts to take in dogs in need of re-homing. I also found that it can be hard to rescue with small children in the home. So many of the dogs were listed with the caveat that they should go to either childless homes or homes with older children. I hope that our next dog will be a rescue or even a foster.
We have chosen a very loving breeder, who clearly cares for all of her puppies and their parents. A friend recently picked up a puppy from her farm and had such a lovely experience that we felt comfortable going through her, too. Today, we met our sweet puppy! Her name is Luna Lovegood Kousma. Her name is an obvious homage to Harry Potter for us. I know that Lovegood sounds a bit sketchy (something that Will pointed out) if you're not a fan of HP. I promise, there's nothing untoward going on here. :)
She's half Maltese, a quarter Shih-Tzu, and a quarter Poodle. We won't get to take her home until the end of the month, but we are head-over-heels for her. She will be small-ish (probably around 10-12 lbs), sheddless-ish, super smart, loving, and she will grow up around our somewhat [read: super] loud home. We can't wait to bring her home. I haven't seen the kids so excited in ages. We're taking small wins at this point, and she feels like a HUGE win from our point of view.
