Welcome Max

We have a new little puppy at our house! His name is Max. He weighs 2 pounds.

No, I'm not crazy. Well, at least not in THAT way. I've been thinking about it for a couple of years now and have stood my ground in saying no way will I have a pet that is MY round-the-clock responsibility. I've thought of all the ins and outs of having a pet in the house, and in my thinking, I have come to realize that Jeremy really NEEDS a pet, and the kids really NEED a pet. I knew it was going to happen sometime, just didn't expect it so soon.

Two Saturdays ago we were at Walmart when we saw a lady outside on the grass with puppies. Just like always, Jeremy said, "Do you mind if I take the kids over to see the dogs?" I replied, "Whatever. Go take a look real quick." Turns out the puppies were these tiny little Chihuahuas. We started holding one of them and talking to the lady about her dogs. Then Jeremy asked her how much she was selling them for. She said $50! No way! Usually they are around $250 - $600. Well, this little puppy was too darn cute to leave and the kids couldn't put him down. Even Jeremy was completely taken by this little dog. My mind was racing as to how I could get away from this situation without having a new little animal. In my racing mind, I realized that now was the probably the time it would be (not later) because for some reason it just felt different with this little dog than with all the other ones we had held and admired, so we agreed to get the puppy. So now, here we are! We are now a pet's family!

On the way home from Walmart, we asked the kids to start thinking of a name. Samantha yelled out, "How about Max?" Hm, that was kind of a cute name - and not too long. I said, "Does anyone have a problem with him being named Max?" Everyone yelled out, "NO!" So I said, "Do you want his name to be Max?" Then they all yelled out, "YES!!!" So that's how he came to get his name. Simple.

All the kids love having Max in the house. I have blocked him off in the kitchen while he house trains because I don't want all the accidents on the carpet. Athena and Samantha are really good about taking Max out to go potty. We got a crate for Max and he immediately took to the crate, which has turned out to be really nice! He goes in there when he wants to be alone, or to sleep, and the kids are not allowed to reach inside his crate. He seems to like it in there. :)

Last week Jeremy got the special puppy shampoo and gave Max his first bath! All the kids were so intrigued by the process. It was so crowded in the bathroom that there was barely enough room for Jeremy to give Max his bath. I had to stand in the tub with Max to get pictures.

Here he is getting all dried and cozy. It took him a couple of hours to stop shivering after his bath! Poor little dog.

Of course, I also had to bring Max for show and tell! I did get pictures in Samantha's classroom, but didn't get any in Athena's. Just picture same scenario, different kids. Both classes were ready when we arrived. The teachers had the kids make a circle on the floor and we let Max play in the circle for a little while. It got a little rowdy, but Athena and Samantha were so proud to show off their new little puppy! He was a big hit!

Last Saturday we took Max to Petsmart to get his shots, so after all this, we are fully immersed in the pet world now. I think over all it will be a good experience for the kids to have a pet in the house who they can love and take care of. Yes, I do most of the taking care part, but I believe it will be worth it in the long run. Max is very loving and he seems to be in heaven with all the kid attention. He even lets Alexandra hold him and she is learning how to treat him kindly. We are still working on some of the friends getting used to him. That will take a little time. And yes, Jeremy is in heaven having a little dog friend!