A New Member of the Family

So we've decided to get a family dog. He's a little 4 and a half month old Cockalier from Pennsylvania. He's very cute....



He's from a small petstore and he's just what I wanted. Well, actually, I wanted a King Charles Cavalier but those puppies are $1200.00 and I don't have that kinda money to spend on a family dog. Not after we put up the nice new fence that will be keeping our family dog in the yard! So we're getting a Cavalier mix and we're really excited. Mostly me. Eric is....well...Eric. He's hesitant but willing. Carly will LOVE it -- but probably not as much as she loves Dora.

His given name is Leo but I think we're changing it to Luke....as in Luke Skywalker. Eric hasn't officially approved of the name yet but I'm leaning in that direction. It's that or Chewy..also from Starwars.

Leo is not potty trained so I've been doing lots of reading up on house training a dog. And he will be crated so I've also been learning a lot about crate training a dog. I have adjusted my work hours a little so I'll be able to come home and let little Leo out during the day and play with him a little. I have picked up all the supplies I think I'll need (crate, toys, food, bowls, shampoo, treats, etc.) I'm on potty training duty but Eric will help out as needed. This is just one of the tasks he requested he not have to be heavy handed in which is fine since I'm the one that pushed for the dog in the first place.

I'm looking forward to picking him up on Saturday. He's like a present to myself for my 34th birthday! I will post good pictures of him once I pick him up. I'm sure he'll be much cuter in those pictures.

Cocker Spaniels and Cavaliers came up as the perfect type of dog for our family situation when I took an online survey. They are affectionate and loving and great with kids. They don't require TOO much exercise and are just the right size (under 30 lbs).

More to come!