Time For A New Puppy?

How do you know it's time for a new puppy? To be honest I dont think you really do! We had our last dog Jess for 14 years, he was old and ill, and the kindest thing we could do was to put him to sleep. We have always had a dog, and 2 weeks before we said Goodbye to Jess, we went to look at some pups in a rescue home, and really... the rest is history! That was how we ended up with a 4 kilo German Sheppard cross called Yoda (oh and at this time he was only 10 weeks old) Yoda is now 3 years old, weighs 43 kilo, and is a very protective member of our family.

Anyhow, he's not the new puppy... Lara is! We have 2 children, Joe who's 9 and Lauren who's 5 and although they relly love Yoda, he's just too big for them to take him for a walk, and snuggle up on the sofa with. Thats where Lara comes in. We got Lara 4 weeks ago, a scraggly little border terrier, she was 8 weeks old and so tiny she could fit in the palm of our hands! The kids instantly adored her... Yoda on the other hand didn't!

For the first couple of days Yoda did nothing but growl and foam at the mouth every time Lara went near him. Now... they are inseperable! They play together, lie together, Lara's favouite passtime is hanging from Yoda's big bushy tail playing tug-o-war! It's a real sight to see. Yoda is gentle with her, but firm, when he's had enough he lets her know.

So was it the right time for a new puppy? I really think it was, sadly my Dad passed away a week before Christmas 2009, and I couldn't get it out of my mind. I was there when my dad died, and won't go into details but it was the worst night of my life, and I'm 38 years old! So when we got Lara, she took my mind off that terrible night, I couldn't imagine life without her now, she has the sweetest little personality. She is very nearly house (toilet) trained already. And we do crate her at night, which has worked out well too.

So This coming Tuesday is her booster jabs, and then a week after that, the kids will take har for her very first walk, which I'm sure is going to be a fun filled occasion for my kids whose job it is to actually walk her!

So Lara, welcome to the family, I'm sure we have plenty of great years ahead of us.