Monday, March 3, 2008

Welcome to the family!

We became parents (for the 2nd time) this weekend:


Our fur-family grew by bringing this precious little boy home. Our 3-year-old chocolate lab has been ready for a chew toy sibling and play mate for a while now. She has grown up around other dogs, as both our respective families have at least 2 dogs.

Mosley is 6 weeks old; we know his momma was a pure-bread beagle, but since she got adventurous one day and wandered through the fence, no one is quite certain who the poppa is.

We had been checking online ads/in the paper since before Christmas-we knew that our next family planning venture would involve adopting another dog-we just weren't sure when and what kind. So yesterday the ad caught our eye--7 beagle mix pups were up for adoption to a good home! We immediately called, left a message and waited patiently for a return call. Minutes ticked by and as we approached an hour, I begged Mook to call again--maybe they were by the phone. He never had to call again, since the phone rang seconds later. There were 3 left, and we were welcome to come by and take a look.

I drove the 40 miles thinking about the pros and cons of brining another dog into our house:
  • Puppies are soooooo cute. (they also poop...a lot)
  • They want to cuddle all the time! (they want to cuddle all the time)
  • We've wanted another dog for a long time (Do we go through puppy training all over again?!)
  • Jordan needs a playmate (more teeth to chew through my shoes)
  • They sleep a lot (but never when I want to sleep....say around 2am)
When we pulled up, there was another couple getting out of their car at the same time. We all walked over to play with the 3 remaining puppies. They seemed nice enough: playing and talking baby-talk, but then she looked right at me and said "We plan on taking 2 home."

This immediately put me on the defensive. We were there to adopt and care for a precious pup just as they were, but what gave her the right to pull rank and put dibs on 2 before I had chance to interact with any of them? As I sat down to play, one wriggled out of her death-grip, tilted his head at me and jumped into my lap. Where he stayed.

She kept glancing over at me, and making comments to her husband "Well, are you sure honeeeeey? That one over there (cutting eyes at me) sure looks cute too." By then, she had made it well known that they had 2 kids at home. Whoop-ee, lady. Of course that leads to the inevitable: "Do you all have kids, because you know that dogs are a lot of work, especially with kids." I put on my southern belle charm and grinned back, "We have another dog, so we know that they are hard work, and since we don't have kids we travel a lot." I made sure to put an emphasis on a lot. Petty, I know--but I had to get a dig in somehow. I didn't waste anymore time chit-chatting, said my thank-you's, and dragged Mook and Mosley back to the car to head home.

The 40 mile trek home didn't seem as long as the one going to get Mo. I wasn't as anxious or fretting about the cons of having another puppy. I was enjoying time with Mook and this precious little pup slumbering in his lap. I looked over to Mook and said, "Hey Poppa." We both gave a strained grin, knowing the double meaning of that statement. So many of the events of yesterday's pet adoption paralleled to the feelings I can imagine going through in another sort of adoption...

Call me crazy, but by adopting another puppy reinforced my belief that if we end up completing our family by adopting the human kind, then we will be one happy family.

79 comments:

  1. Congrats on your new addition. He is adorable!!

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  2. SO adorable. As the co-head of a 2-puppy household, I wish you the best of luck.

    And do yourself a favor. Go ahead and place a bulk order for socks and paper towels. You will thank yourself later.

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  3. Mosely is adorable! Congratulations! I don't think our furbaby would do very well with a second pup - she doesn't like to share her bed! She sleeps with us and there just isn't any more room. 2 adults, a dog and a cat!

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  4. He's the cutest puppy ever!! Congratulations!!

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  5. OH I Just LOVE HIM!! He looks very cuddly! I am so happy that you managed to get hte pup you wanted regardless of the momzilla lady!

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  6. Ohhh JJ, I'm in love with Mosely! What an adorable little guy. Congrats on the new little one! :)

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  7. He is unbelievably cute. I want to just dog-nap him and take him home to cuddle. Of course, our two mutts might object. Congrats on adding to the family!

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  8. Oh my gosh I could just squeeze him! He is so cute! Congratulations! :)

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  9. Oh my goodness. That's an adorable pup. Makes me want another too! I'm sure you'll have great fun together. FWIW I think dogs are so much better in twos (or more) its just better for them.
    Congrats on your new family member. I'm sure the fun has started already.

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  10. Oh, he is SO.CUTE!!! I could just smooch him over and over!!!

    (And good on you girl for getting your dig in. That woman was obfreakingNOXIOUS!)

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  11. He is absolutely adorable!! I know you said he isn't purebred, but I just love beagles...they are so cute. If my husband will ever let us get a dog, I'd love to find a beagle/beagle mix up for adoption.

    I think you're right about the adoption thing...I can't imagine that anyone that goes through that process and comes out with a baby ever come out of it with anything other than elation.

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  12. He is adorable! Love the name! I am so glad you adopted another pup. I always say a home is never complete without two pets...or four! Lol! We have collected four dogs in the small span of four years. We LOVE them! They have made our lives so enjoyable. Nothing like the unconditional love from your dog. I worked for a Vet for 6 years, so I am surprised I don't have more. Enjoy him! :]

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  13. He is absolutely adorable! I am a total dog nut and they are great in twos.

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  14. What a cutie! And I love the name Mosley.

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  15. Mosley is just adorable. (and that woman should have been smacked...those poor puppies)

    Congrats on the new addition

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  16. Oh, he is so CUTE!! I'm glad he found you--it was meant to be.

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  17. Look at the wittle boy!! So beautiful! The Boy has the same collar as Mo!

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  18. Congrats!! Coming from a family with two hound mixes...I can say they are definitely full of love and cuddles....enjoy!

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  19. Sooo cute! Love those puppy eyes, they just make you want to melt! Hope your new puppy doesn't put you guys out too much. I know they can be a bit much at the beginning!

    I expect that you are right on about the adoption track. I wish it wasn't so hard to go through any of the IF processes we do, but sometimes I think the trials do make it more clear to us what is really important. For me, sharing love is my top reason for wanting a child.

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  20. oh my, what an adorable little cutie! congrats on the new furbaby addition, love the name. hope your lab loves him too! and so glad mosley found you and escaped the death grip of that vixen beotch. the nerve!

    seeing him and hearing your story makes me think about our little pup who we lost last year -- she nuzzled into my cleavage on the way home that first day and I was so in love...

    enjoy! ~luna

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  21. The puppy is just gorgeous, I wish my landlord didn't have that churlish 'no pets' rule.

    J

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  22. OMG, he is just the cutest thing ever!

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  23. How adorable! Reminds me of my border collie when he was a baby.

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  24. Awwwwww, lickle puppy eyes, give him a little kiss from auntie artblog :)

    XXX

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  25. Mosley's so cute!
    And I am glad he chose you over the pushy family... He is lucky ;)

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  26. OMG he is soooo cute.

    Sorry about the stupid other woman though.

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  27. Congrats! He's adorable! I can't believe that woman...you handled it with a lot of grace.

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  28. Honestly, Mosely is too adorable! You guys are so lucky. I wonder every now and again about a dog, but then remember that with our house, we have two adults, two cats, and with IVF #3 on the way, heaven knows what we're in for there. :)

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  29. Oh so cute! There is nothing better that a little furbaby! I have the itch for another myself.

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  30. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. I want one I want one I want one...if only my hubby would let me. Please keep posting photos, he is just adorable.

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  31. He is adorable!! When we were making the decision to use DI my husband always said if he could love our dogs so much he should have no problem loving any baby no matter how it came to us as intensly as if it came from him!

    Congratulations! How is Jordan handling his new brother?

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  32. JJ, he is so cute. I am glad you found another fur kid to adopt. I hopt the two dogs get along nicely. Give him a belly rub for me.

    No matter how you decide to get your family to grow, it is the right one. Hugs to you and Mook.

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  33. JJ - He's adorable! Invest in bulk puppy pads and paper towels! I brought a 7 week old home on 1/15 and we've gone through about 500 puppy pads!

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  34. He is SOOO flippin' cute! Makes me want another puppy.

    That's how we ended up with Gus. He ran right over to Scott and wouldn't leave. So we HAD to bring him home!

    C.U.T.E.

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  35. Your new doggie is stinkin adorable!!! We got our second dog last January because I really needed a "baby substitute"- something to cuddle and nurture so I could distract myself from the infertility madness. And another plus was that our first dog got a new best friend, and they've been inseperable little buddies. Good luck with the puppy training and take lots of pictures. You won't believe how quickly puppies grow!

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  36. Congrats! He is ridiculously precious. Every time I see a new pup I want one too. Hmmm.....

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  37. He is too adorable for words. I grew up with a beagle and he was incredily loyal and loving.

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  38. JJ he's so cute!!! I'm jealous!

    Congratulations.

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  39. What a cute puppy and I love the name! Congrats on the newest addition to your family. The lady from the other couple sounds like she needs a good swat on the nose with some newspaper. ;)

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  40. THAT picture, and THAT name are both just too cute!!! I hope Mosely is settling in well to his knew home (full of love no doubt!).

    I wonder if that woman's husband knows how hard it is to take care of a bitch???

    Sorry...couldn't help it.

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  41. Adorable! Wonderful news on the newest addition to your family. How are Mosely and Jordan getting along?

    I am glad Mosely chose you instead of the other couple. He proved himself a smart little pup right there.

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  42. How reakin' cute is that puppy!!! Too, too cute!

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  43. Oh he is SOOO cute! We think our (mut) Daisy is part beagle. She had ears JUST like Mosley's! How perfect that he squirmed his way out of someone elses arms and directly to yours. Meant to be.

    Have fun!!

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  44. Mosley is too cute!! Congratulations on your new puppy. I think it is good to have two dogs. We have two and they really adore each other.

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  45. He is precious. I just love that sweet face.

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  46. OH what a total cutie!!! congrats!!!

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  47. What an adorable new addition to your family. I love that you rescued him from the evil fertile woman. Ok, I'm sure she wasn't evil. I hope the transition is smooth.

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  48. What a cutie! You did well and I love the attitude you gave to the other couple. LOVE IT!

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  49. I know you've heard it a lot this week but... "THAT PUPPY IS ADORABLE!" and a snugglebug to boot. Too cute.

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  50. JJ, I don't know how it is for you, but knowing that if we could not have a bio child that we would have a family some way, some how, took a lot of the pressure off of the IVF cycles. if you know you are going to have a family, know it. It will come. Some way, some how.

    LOVE the PUP!!!

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  51. Congrats on the new addition!!!

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  52. Welcome home Mosley! What a cutie! I don't think that you're weird at all for feeling some link between adding to your fur family through adoption or your human one. I have often thought that the same thing. I think it shows that right now you have a lot of love in your heart that you want to mold into a family..furchildren and human ones together. Those are the best kind!

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  53. he is kinda cute. plus i love the blue eyes :)

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  54. OMG!!! I love Mosley!!! He is adorable!

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  55. OMG Mosely is SOOOO adorable! Congrats on your new addition!!!!

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  56. Hello, friend!

    What a cute puppy, I just want to eat him up. Please post lots of pictures of him, no one can get enough cute puppy photos!!

    Any chance of getting you here for our gathering on the 16th? I'd so love to see you again.

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  57. Mosley is precious! I really wanted a new puppy to keep Abby company, but it's just not a good time for it...maybe next year! Good luck with your new family member!

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  58. YAY! Congratulations on your new addition. Mo is sooooo unbelievably cute. If I wasn't moving back to the city I would so want another puppy.

    So sorry about the rude-ass woman. Some people are really too much.

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  59. Okay, he is adorable! Congrats! And just remember while you're potty training: God makes puppies really cute so you put up with it all. :)

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  60. He's GORGEOUS!!

    Sorry about the snotty woman. Mosley obviously is a good judge of character.

    xx

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  61. he almost looks too cute to be real!

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  62. Mosley is adorable! Pugsley's first birthday is today. I got him a cupcake to celebrate. :-)

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  63. JJ he is so hadsome. He wanted to go home with you. He didn't want to be with the other nasty woman!

    I am sure he is going to love his new home and enjoy being little brother.

    I look forward to tales of your two babies playing together.

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  64. What an ADORABLE pup! As a proud beagle mom, I know you'll have a LOT of fun. :)

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  65. Congratulations on your new addition to the family! As the owner of a full fledged beagle, let me tell you, you are in for quite a ride with your new pup. I've found that it helps to lower your expectations (behaviorally) for beagles. However, be ready for sweetness in spades! Oh, and that "lady" sure sounded nasty! Good for you for getting in a couple of jabs.

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