The Dog

Anyone who knows us gets that we are animal people. We love the yard dogs (see older posts). We love romping with them, playing with them, loving on them--the whole works. In fact, we have a new round of them sleeping in the driveway at this very moment--Leroy, Big Fella, and Sassy.

The beauty of these dogs is that none of them belongs to us, they just come over to sleep, eat, and have play dates. The rest of the time they belong to our many neighbors. It's like having dogs with none of the responsibility of having dogs. The Husband thinks this is a brilliant deal.

I, on the other hand, have always wanted an indoor dog that we actually own ourselves and claim as a family member. So, The Husband finally 'caved' and set forth a list of complicated criteria, that appeared at first glance to be the unattainable dog. (And if you think that's true, you have obviously never met moi.)

Small--under 10 lbs. Non-shedding. Potty trained (or easily potty trained). Cheap or free.

Introducing Mellie (as in Gone With the Wind). She's a shia-poo: a toy poodle/shiatsu mix (this means "mutt" if you're from the country and "designer dog" if you're from the city). Non-shedding, smart as a whip, good mannered, working on her potty training (this means that she hits that pad like a pro 80% of the time and 20% of the time her head is on it with her butt hanging off the back--hey, I didn't ask my toddlers for that sort of accuracy). And I'm in love! So is the rest of the house. Even The Husband. :-)