Ken and the kids have wanted a dog for years! Last fall just before church we received an email from a woman in our ward explaining that she has recently gotten a new puppy and his care was proving too much for her and she was wondering if anyone would like him. Without even talking to Ken, I responded that we would be interested. I wasn't sure if I was ready for a dog, after all, there are days I feel I can barely take care of my kids, but if we were ever going to get a dog again, it would be a smaller dog that didn't shed. I didn't mention it to the kids, luckily, because it turned out we were the second family to respond and so the puppy was given to them. Actually, I was relieved.
Fast forward about six months.
One Monday evening after the kids were in bed, we received a call from our friends, the Adams. They were the family that had gotten the puppy. Ryan explained that despite trying for months, that the puppy was not a good fit for their family and wondered if we would be interested in taking him. Ken asked if we could come and meet Potter, the puppy. We headed over a few minutes later.
I'm not sure our first meeting went all that well. Potter was a little standoffish, especially with Ken. Ryan told us a little more about Potter's background. He is a yorkiepoo (what a funny name!) and would not get too big, about 10 pounds. They named him Potter because they are Harry Potter fans. That practically seemed like a sign! :) He was about 80% potty trained and loved to play. Ken and I went home to discuss.
Ken basically left the decision up to me, considering I would be his primary caregiver. Over the next 36 hours I kept going back and forth. A dog is a lot to take on and I wasn't sure I wanted to add to the chaos in our home. I finally decided that the opportunity to get a dog that met all my criteria for FREE wouldn't likely happen again. I called Channel, told her we would take Potter, and made arrangements to pick him up the next day while the kids were at school.
When the kids got home, we showed them a picture of Potter. They ooh-ed and ahh-ed about how cute the puppy was and then completely freaked out when I told them that this was going to be our dog. That evening we made a trip to PetSmart to choose a kennel, food, and toys for Potter. The kids were over the moon and so very excited! The next morning, I went over to pick Potter up. I felt so bad when I saw the tears in Channel's eyes, but she was happy he was going to a good home.
Overall, I have to say that I think Potter transitioned very well. He had a couple of accidents the first couple of days and some whimpering when we would put in in the kennel, but he has fit in with our family amazingly well. I especially love to watch Potter and Cooper playing. They play tag and fetch and roll around the floor wrestling. Potter has a sweet personality and loves to follow me around the house and curls up to nap near my feet when I sit down. After a few weeks in the kennel, we now trust him enough to sleep with one of the kids (with their door closed so he can't wander during the night). There are still a few training issues that we are working on, but we couldn't be more pleased with the new addition to our family. We love him!
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