We found a small dog in California that fit our want list criteria, so we brought him back with us. We named him Mocha, but I keep calling him by my son's name which is similar. So we might yet need to change the dog's name again.
He's a 2 year old chihuahua mix. We think he's got schipperke and possibly terrier in that mix. FOr a chihuahua, he's amazingly quiet and calm, unless a group of junior highers is in our house - which happens every Monday night. He's pretty well potty trained. Except that BearHunter is gone for 10 days right now on outreach, so I'm the sole caretaker of dog, toddler, preschooler, woodstove, meals, and self! And our first morning I took him out right away for a pee, while I gathered some firewood. Then he pooped inside 15 minutes later....I should have waited for him to poop outside. His favorite toilet spot is the kids' room. Partly it's where we hang out the least, and mainly because he's peed there before and the scent is probably hanging around.
I never liked dogs. But my husband has loved them his whole life, sleeping with his dogs while growing up, etc. I had hoped to get some kind of animal companion for my son when we moved into our own place. And early this winter, I got the inner drive to research dogs. Hunting for the elusive perfect breed for our family. In any case, I think GOd was preparing me to get this dog, it seems He hand picked it for us. I just needed time to warm up to the idea and feel confident in the choice when we finally met him. We had only a few hours to decide if he would become ours. The dog was probably already in a shelter when my desire began. We found him at his second shelter, a non-kill location that saves animals off of death row.
He has turned out to be a great dog for us, considering all the potential problems we could have discovered with a used dog (that doesn't sound right, but he wasn't a puppy). And I'm thankful not to be dealing with a puppy's needs right now. My two human kids require much care and energy, a puppy would have sent me over the top or simply been neglected and poorly trained.
We received a lovely crib from friends in California. We got it set up in hte kids room. So we're one step more ready for when an adoption happens for us. We're just waiting on an Alaska mom to choose us. That's all in God's hands too. He'll have to provide the finances for it. But we strongly believe it's God's will and his leading for us to have come this far in the process.
