I adopted a puppy!!!

So I have been looking at adopting a puppy for approximately forever, at least since high school. I couldn't adopt one in college, I couldn't adopt one while I worked at Epic, I didn't want to adopt when I was first settling down in Florida, but fiiiinally I am ready for a puppy. I'm always looking at PetFinder.com for cute animals and I saw an adorable fluffy dog at the shelter near us. Today was my first day off in a long time so Devin and I went to the beach, got shaved ice, and then stopped at the South Animal Care and Adoption Center (aka Animal Shelter). The place was overrun with kittens but we went to go look at the dogs. At first we didn't see the dog I had seen online but we asked about him and were taken to a back area. We visited with him in an outside pen and he ran right up to us, sat in our laps, and was such a loving dog. He also didn't bark at all the other dogs in the kennels so I was instantly in love and we adopted him. He still needs to be neutered and we have an appointment in August to remove his dangley bits. He was listed as a Shih Tzu but I think he might be a mix because he's larger than most Shih Tzus I've seen and also colored differently. The shelter thinks he's about 5 years old. I'm not sure what is back story is but he settled in very quickly at our house, is already potty trained, has been really good about not chewing things up (other than dog toys), and he seems to be getting along well with Grant. I haven't settled on a name for him yet but so far I'm considering Sprocket, Gizmo, and Riley. Yay for puppies!!!

Puppy class and the Spy Museum

Devin and I enjoyed another fabulous day of relaxing on Friday. We spent more time reading together snuggled up under a blanket and we also played a couple of games of Fluxx with Devin's parents. The best part of the day, though, was going to Nessi's puppy class for CCI. All of the puppies there had to complete an obstacle course complete with distractions like light up balls and food. They also worked on agility by running through a zigzag of chairs. They did a couple of relay races to see which team could complete all of their commands (sit, down, speak) the fastest. I got to help with the last relay which was for fun. Each team tried to put a t-shirt and socks on our puppy and get back to the finish line the fastest. It had everybody laughing out loud. I also enjoyed the puppies all playing together on their break and enjoying their frosty treats that they ate at the end of class.

Saturday we headed into Washington DC and we went to the International Spy Museum. I was pretending to be Greta Schmidt on a mission to get grant information from the Royal Astronomical Society (or something like that). The museum was really neat, but sadly I don't think I have what it takes to be a spy. For dinner we went to a Chinese restaurant close by for dinner with Devin's uncle Jim. Jim live on a farm in Maryland and is retired secret service. He brought his friend Mario who is in the Coast Guard and entertained us with stories of amazing rescues he has completed.

Tomorrow we have to head back to Florida. Both Devin and I would be happy to stay here relaxing, reading, playing games, but unfortunately work is calling. Luckily it is supposed to be in the high 70's so at least I will be happy about the warm weather.

Gibson was adopted!

So this poor little puppy has been through a lot. He was a neglect case so when we got him he was very malnourished. He went from 16 lbs to 23 lbs in the time we had him. He then got kennel cough and was coughing up phlem. Then he got really sick and stopped eating and all he did was sleep so the foster organization had to take him back. He got a little better and so we got him back but then he got sicker again so we took him to the vet and it turned out he had coccidia. I was carrying him around in a big bag because he has sever separation anxiety and whines/pees/poops whenever we leave the room. After all this he is finally healthy (mostly), is better potty trained, and he knows how to sit and lay down (with food). At his new home he will have a big sister who is a 4 year old rottweiler. His new mom sent me pictures and he looks very happy. Yay!

Gibson is my new puppy

I picked up a new puppy to foster from PetsMart today. His name is Gibson and he is a 6 month old rottweiler. He was a neglect case so he is malnourished and in need of some TLC. Gibson also had two siblings that were bigger than him and have apparently not been letting him get to the food bowl. That's ok because I'll spoil him and fatten him up. He and Grant seem to get along well. Gibson doesn't play as much as Curry did but he is also not chewing up everything like Curry did.

Happy blow stuff up day!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July. Yay for our country! I started the day off in kind of a bad mood because I took Curry to PetCo for people to look at him and he was adopted. That is of course a good thing and the whole point of fostering, but they took my puppy and I was very, very unhappy about it. It was so hard to leave him behind and there may have been a few tears shed. The thought of adopting him myself had crossed my mind a couple of times. Hopefully he is very happy in his new home. It sounds like he will have pugs to play with which is good since he loves to play with other dogs.

Devin and I went to see the fireworks display in Cocoa because the Brevard Symphony Orchestra was playing and I haven’t heard them before. They were good and the fireworks were awesome. My favorites are the ones that snap, crackle, and pop. After the show we headed to the beach to meet Ryan and Trina with the $150 worth of fireworks that we bought. It was really closer to $300 worth since everything was buy one get one free. There were other people shooting off fireworks as well but ours were by far the biggest and best. We had fountains, spinners, firecrackers, sparklers, bottle rockets, roman candles (one of my favorites), and the big ones that you shoot from mortars. Then we headed back to the house and lit some black snakes in the driveway and then off to bed. More holidays should have fireworks.

I have a puppy!

I have an adorable hound puppy named Curry. Technically he’s not MY puppy because I’m fostering him through the Suntree-Viera Pet Rescue. He is about three months old and he loves to snuggle…and chew on everything. He is especially fond of my shoes and socks including when they are on my feet. We blocked off part of the house and are working on potty and crate training with him. Grant is staying with Devin’s parents for two days while his vaccinations kick in and Curry can have some time to get adjusted to his new home. Hopefully they will like playing with each other. I have a puppy!!!