Decisions made

Alrighty, thanks a million to everyone who had an opinion about pets that dared to offer it! I might be repeating myself in this post, but if so just skip to the new stuff. If not, well... either way, get ready for a novel. If you don't want to read, I understand. This is pretty much a way of updating everyone as well as explaining myself to everyone who thinks I'm off my rocker for doing all this!

First of all, thanks again to everyone. Whether it was through posts on this blog, or responses to e-mails, or simply conversations, everyone's advise did help a lot. Even if it doesn't seem like it at first as we may be doing something that was discouraged. When you give the reasons why you have a particular like or dislike, it helps in making an informed choice. And in one particular case, I know that you think I'm nuts. But then, most of my family would agree with you since a lot of them aren't really into pets to begin with. Plus we got the happy news that all we needed to have a pet was a pet deposit and contract update, which is so much better than the other method.

Anyway, the decision was to get both a kitten and a puppy. The kitten was partly because we knew that we would want to have a cat someday so if we get a puppy now we'll need to have a kitten to raise it with so the dog doesn't consider the cat part of it's food chain in the future (yes, this does really work). The other rub was that we found an adorable pure-blood persian male who really desperately needed a new home. I called originally to ask just to see the kitten to test John's resolve. Little did I know that when we would meet the kitten it would be in such sad shape. Usually I'm against getting a sick critter, however this little one was soo sad, and any sickness was due to neglect rather than bacteria. Fortunately his little face isn't so squashed up as to drive you crazy, but his fur was completely matted and filthy plus he was soo skinny I was starting to think I was seeing his spine and a rib or two even through the long hair! So when John said yes, we ended up bringing him home. He got a bath first thing the next day along with a full grooming (we had to cut a bunch of matts out they were so bad). Talk about your drowned rats! All things considered he really didn't do too badly, and dried out in about 1/4 of the time I'd expected. In the last week since he joined in the mayhem we call home, he has filled out so much and his coat has gotten incredibly silky and full. He even started playing with Kieran a couple of days ago which I didn't think would happen for at least a month. But the kitten has adjusted to the life and love found in abundance around here pretty quickly. I wish you could see Kieran and Zephyr (the kitten) play chase, not to mention the way Tia gets him to chase his tail and Caelen bundles and snuggles him like a baby!

As far as a puppy, things have happened incredibly quickly. First of all, we decided on a Siberian Husky. When I first told people at a family birthday party last week, most people thought I was nuts. They all said the dog would be too big, especially in our 'little' apartment, or in the case of one aunt I asked personally there were other problems. Personally, I've never lived in such a large apartment so I can't really see how a dog that is only 20 in or so at the whithers when she matures would be too big. And yes, that means the dog's head at the most will only come up to just above my knees! Plus you add in the factor of the back yard (we're on the ground floor with easy access to the back yard) full of other kids who love playing with dogs, and the fact that I'm walking usually twice a day...you get the idea. Oh, and as far as the howling that I've been told of: according to books, vets, and breeders (as well as previous owners both for and against the breed) the howling is something that comes from training the pup as a pup rather than waiting until the dog is older. I've been told of several ways of dealing with it so the neighbors won't totally hate me, as well as the shedding issues. Add all that up with the facts that this breed is incredibly well known for being extremely friendly, intelligent, and tolerant when socialized early, not to mention soo appealing to look at (which does help for therapy pets, which I intend to do), and incredibly good with kids...you get the idea. Of course, it doesn't help that John couldn't agree on any other dog breed that I had picked out, so a Siberian Husky (also known as a Sepolla) it is.

Anyway, to get off of my defensive soapbox: I figured it would take weeks to find a pup, particularly at this time of year. However, as luck would have it, I got onto ksl.com's classifieds and found a lady who breeds huskies in Bear Lake advertising for a litter that was about ready to go. As I got to talking with her, I found out that she competes with her dogs for sledding (and other pulling races), and as such had helped my cousin compete as well. She even told me about how she would let him use the dogs in the winter where he would often beat her with her own dogs! After asking around a little bit (plus calling my uncle), I can honestly say that she comes very highly recommended both as a breeder and also as an obedience trainer. I'll admit I'm a little excited about lucking out so much for a good breeder which can be incredibly hard to find here in northern Utah. She asked several questions about the family and our lives, and helped us pick out a puppy that really was responsive considering she was scared from her first car ride not to mention cold as she's been raised inside. But she didn't shy away from us, nor did she jump out at us. She sort of just sat back and accepted what we did, and then snuggled for all she was worth. And she is a gorgeous red point with bi-colored eyes (one brown, one blue). Plus, while she wasn't acting like the "leader of the pack", she was loving on the other pups rather than just huddling with them which seemed a pretty good sign to me. Now the only problem is that we are stuck waiting on the stupid paperwork from the apt owners which officially give us permission to have a pet (I know, the kitten was a little premature, but as they aren't going to see her and it is easier ask forgiveness than permission...) and pay the pet deposit (currently sitting in a money order, waiting as well). We didn't want to push our luck in getting the pup home only to be told that we would have to find a new home for her for a week or more. So unless anyone here in Logan is able/willing to take her until papers come through, we are stuck waiting and hoping until we can go fetch her. It was so hard to put that puppy back in the truck and walk away!

Anyway, that is where we are on the whole ordeal. I'll include all kinds of funny/cute stories of how the kids are dealing with all the pets as we go.