Russ has been whining to me over the past year that we needed to get a dog. I consistently said "NO!"but for Christmas this year I decided to finally give in and let us get a dog. I wrapped up dog toys and a card saying that when we get back from all our trips we can go pick out a dog for us.I told Melinda that we were looking at getting a dog so she went on to Pet Finder to show me all the cute dogs that needed homes. She sent me a couple of emails with different dogs, little did she know that would end up being the new addition to our family.
We completed all our trips MLK weekend so I thought we should look for dogs the following weekend. On the following Thursday and Friday, I looked on Pet Finder, found a couple of dogs, and contacted the people. Russ and I decided we wanted a lab mix like Bud (my family dog) and Russ preferred a male puppy. I found one dog that was born on 10/21 (Russ' birthday) that was a black lab and his name was Sparky (Russ' childhood dog)...we thought this was really ironic. I emailed the foster parent but she was located in Savannah. Meanwhile, I had gotten a response on Lovey's Puppies (http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=15360295) and made arrangements to go visit them on Saturday. Russ was very tempted to drive to Savannah but we decided we would look around the area this weekend and if we didn't find anything we would go next weekend to look at Sparky.
Saturday morning came and we got ready to go look at dogs, not really set on having to get one that weekend. Laura told us she would be at PetsMart in Duluth so we could see Lovey's Puppies. I thought I knew where I was going and we got to the place. It was a Petco so I thought the lady had gotten them mixed up. Who would have a Petco and PetsMart on the same street 1/4 mile away from each other? We went to Petco and asked about the puppies and they had no idea but thought I was talking about this other lady who wasn't there yet. We waited around and they showed up with golden retriever puppies. They were cute and very quiet but we did not want a dog that large. I finally got onto the internet and saw that she was at the PetsMart just up the road. We hopped in the car and went to see the puppies.
Russ and I walked to the back to the adoption area and there he was! This cute little puppy sleeping in a crate. We went up to him and stuck our finger in and he didn't lick but perked up, so far so good! We took him out and he was so quiet, and did not bark, make a noise, or bite. I was sold! We asked the rescue agency questions about the Mom and decided he was the dog for us. While the agency filled out the paper work, Russ and I went around the store buying all the things you need for a dog. All we had were way-too-big toys and a UT collar that Rachel gave us for our wedding. We bought him a crate, food, treats, toys, shampoo, and leash. They finalized the paper work and he was officially ours!
On our way home, we were trying to figure out a name for him. We had talked about naming our dog Neyland when we got a dog but Avery and Jason got a new puppy in December and named their dog that. We came up with Willie, Patches, Rusty, and Taylor. We decided on Willie! So you are probably asking why we named him Willie. Well, Russ' Grandfather that he adores and looks up to's name is William so we talked about using that for a kid's name down the road. We then realized that one of good friends name is Will and would think we named our kid after him, so we opted for our dog! Yes everyone, our dog is named after our good friend William Taylor Blackburn. Ironically, Will introduced us in college and is basically a brother to me. So Will, your name will continue...you have a nephew!
We didn't tell my parents we were looking for dogs. They did know Russ got one for Christmas, but didn't know when we would get one. We brought Willie home and gave him a bath and let him play in the backyard, and then headed out to my parents house for dinner. We showed up with Willie in our arms and they feel in love with him at first sight as well! Mom even held him!
Willie is adjusting to life with us really well. We are crate training him and soon hope to do obedience training. He has already gone to the vet and got a good check-up and had all the nurses and doctors hovering over him, he is pretty cute!We officially have a new member of our family and he has quickly become the center of our lives. I am honestly not a big dog person, but Willie has me holding him, petting him, playing with him, and find myself liking to come home to hang out. Sometimes if he is a good dog that night, he lays on my chest at night on the couch and we fall asleep together until Russ gets home from night class!
He turns 16 weeks old next week so he can begin playing with other dogs. Our first adventure will be to Hendersonville to visit Russ' family. Our neighbors got a puppy that is two weeks older than Willie so soon they can have play dates! Overall, Willie is a great dog besides his puppy nipping stage :) Also, friends are very important to me so I thought it was great how they were a part of us getting a dog. Rachel provided the collar, Melinda found him on Pet Finder, and Willie is named after Will, what a great story Willie has!
