Meet Penny Paro

We did it, we got a puppy!

We had our eye on two (sisters) at a shelter in Waco and decided to put in an application. When it was approved, they told us that several applications for those dogs had been approved, so they couldn't guarantee we would get one.

In order to be sure we could get one if it was the right fit for us, I drove (1 hour and 45 minutes each way with both kids in tow, I don't recommend it) to Waco on Wednesday morning to meet them. I really wanted Trav to go with me but the shelter closes at 5pm, so that wouldn't have worked until the weekend, and the dogs may not have been there by then.

I guess I didn't expect the day to be as emotionally charged as it was. I should have known that since being around my parents' dog makes me choke up, that this would be tough, but I wasn't ready for the fact that when we walked into the shelter, Jax said "OH! We at Dog Heaven, gonna go get Bella! I hear her, she's coming!" Yeah, I almost lost it there.

We went back into a "meet & greet" room where you get to know pets and see if they're the right one for your family. I wasn't expecting much since Jax isn't very into animals, and he didn't really know what to think of the puppies at first. He did love chasing and being chased though, and thought it was fun to throw toys for the puppies.

The sister, "Holly", was blonde and a little smaller, but she was also more timid and the employee told me that she would be the more high maintenance and needy of the two. The other one, "Noel", was spunky and lively with a brown coat and weird (but cute) half-brown, half-black hairs growing out of the top of her head. Noel was the one that we originally found on the website and wanted, and she was definitely the cuter of the two! The employee said she was also more the more independent of the two, so it really worked out that she was the best choice for us.

Now, this is where I pause, because with Bella, when we went to get her, the second I saw her furry face at the breeder, I knew she was mine and that she would be my furry best friend and make the best companion ever. I loved her immediately. This time? Notsomuch. And it does pain me to say that, I feel like the worst dog owner ever, but I'm not there yet.

She's sweet as pie, very cute, and looks at me with the biggest, darkest eyes and it's like she KNOWS that I'm not head-over-heels in love with her just yet and that I'll take some time to warm up to the idea of having her as a legitimate part of our family.

I do know that a lot of it is that I feel like a traitor (or something, that probably isn't the right word) to Bella in even getting another dog. I haven't brought myself to get her things out for Penny to use, because they're Bella's, always will be. She has (had?) plenty of toys, steps to get up onto our bed, food & water bowls, leashes, etc., but for now we are just using the 2 toys we got for Penny at Petco and putting her food and water into plastic bowls we have. I don't know if I will use Bella's things for Penny or not, they may just stay packed up in the bin in the garage where I asked Trav to bring them the day we said goodbye so that I didn't have to see them as reminders.

I will get there. I know I will. She loves me, she loves us, and she's really perfect for us, from what I can tell in the short time we have had her. Jax woke up this morning and immediately said "Where's my Penny puppy??" and ran down to let her out of her crate and go outside with her to go potty. I love that he likes her so much, again, didn't expect that. Jory loves to watch Penny but isn't a huge fan of the face licking and nipping, especially since she isn't mobile and can't get away!

(this was taken as we were meeting her at the shelter)


And, there is the fact that we adopted her from a shelter, and that we're not perpetuating the awful conditions that most puppy mills and breeders raise puppies in, not to mention that you just never know what could have happened to her if we didn't come into her life.

All of this to say, that we got a puppy, she's a major sweetheart, and she IS part of our family now. We (I) have had an interesting day with 3 very lively small beings in the house now, but we're getting the hang of potty training (didn't I JUST potty train someone else? haha) and crate training and trying not to let her chew up everything we own. Her teeth are like tiny toothpicks, so they don't really do much damage, but Jax isn't a huge fan of her grabbing his trains and tracks and cars and taking them off to gnaw on!

We named her Penny because she looks like a Penny and Noel just didn't seem like the best fit. She was born on November 13 (which is Trav's birthday, ha!) and I believe the shelter got her around Christmas, which is why she and her sister were named Holly and Noel (they had another sister, Angel, too). I was between Penny and Darby but Penny suits her much better and Jax chose that when I asked him what we should call her.

Oh and on the way to the shelter I asked Jax what we should name a puppy. The conversation went like this:
Me: Jax, if we get a puppy today, what should we name her?
Jax: Umm how bout Bella.
Me: No, Bella isn't with us anymore. We need a new name!
Jax: Umm how about Cake.
Me: Cake?? Ok how about this. Should we name her Darby or Penny?
Jax: Penny! Penny puppy!

Penny is a dachshund/chihuahua/toy poodle mix, so her fur is somewhat coarse, brown, and a little curly like a toy poodle's. She could use a trip to the groomer for a trim just to even everything out, but after that I don't think she will need regular grooming like Bella did since her fur is pretty short.

She's 3 months old and got spayed on Valentine's day (what a great way to spend Valentine's day, huh?) so she has to wear the Elizabethan collar for the next few days. We take it off when we are right by her but she has to wear it when we aren't around to be sure she isn't licking the incision.

So that's that! I am sure this isn't the last you'll see of her, you know how I am with the camera. ;)