So we have now had a pup for over a month. Tashi is half Bernese Mountain Dog, half unknown. Everyone who sees her has an opinion about the other half, and the general consensus is some sort of terrier (I typically follow this up with a somewhat inappropriate joke about a Jack Russel convincing the Bernese to scoot over and stand next to the bench he's on).
We have never owned a dog as adults, and both of us had fairly untrained dogs growing up. So it was with more than a little anxiety that we decided we had the room, time and love for a dog in the family. I read 1 million books on how to raise the perfect pup (which brought me back to 6 years ago when I read the millions of baby books in preparation for parenthood), and haunted PetFinder on a daily basis. I have always wanted a dog when the time was right, and with me working part time and us living in a neighborhood great for dogs this seemed about as good as it was going to get.
Finally, I saw Tashi and her two sisters (at the shelter they were given the crazy names of "Islands in the Snow", "Hard Candy Christmas" and "The Gambler") on the internet and rushed to the Humane Society. She was the scruffiest looking dog of the three, but right in the middle in terms of temperament. I wanted the kids and Z to come out to meet her but DaVinci had a fever, and so I was left to make the decision on my own. I went for it, and then stood waiting to adopt her and trying to stifle the panic attack. Fortunately I ran into a woman who's daughter is in class with DaVinci and she talked me down and told me it would all be OK. I am SO happy she was there. We brought her home the day before Thanksgiving as a nine week old, 13 pound needy little pup.
She is still very much a puppy - we have to give her plenty of opportunities to pee in the yard, she gets excited to see EVERYONE and EVERY DOG and cannot help herself but to jump up on them because she is SO EXCITED TO SEE THEM!!!! In a playful mood, she uses her mouth too much. But there is so much about her that is perfect for our family. She is not phased at all by the constant NOISE in our house that primarily emanates from the Little D. That boy is almost always making very loud noises. He will also grab Tashi by the head and push her face into his belly, which she doesn't seem to mind. She will sit for anyone, lay down for Z and me, walks well on a leash when the kids aren't with me, and only barks when she is trying to get the cats to play with her. Which, crazily enough, our cat Fibonacci - who hides all day while the kids are awake - is totally into playing with the dog. And as you can see from the picture, Tibby will put up with anything if it means she gets more food. As you can see, Tashi is not very uptight about food, and doesn't mind sharing. I will try and get a better picture of her (and her scruffy mug) the next time I write about doggy antics.
We know we are in for a wild ride, and I still sometimes worry that she is going to magically turn into a complete hellion and ruin our lives, but for now we have a very cute little (and quickly growing) pup who is fitting into our lives just fine.
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