The Pup . . .

Trying to figure out what she is. She's so small I suspect she may be part Chihuahua, kind of a longish back so she could be part Dachshund, floppy ears and head shape that's something like a Beagle. Don't know as we'll ever know, but she is a fun little thing.

A bit shy at first with anyone or anything; once she knows you or it is safe, she makes friends. She runs, not walks, wherever she goes.

Getting potty trained fairly well. Only two minor accidents so far. We laugh with her so often and talk to her so often that I'm not sure she knows when we praise her so heavily for going to the bathroom that this is designed to condition her. Not sure if we're training her or she's training us.

I find I'm reluctant for both of us to leave the house. Can't really take her with us because lots of times we wind up at a restaurant and the Health Department won't allow dogs, other than service dogs, into restaurants. And, anyone who leaves an animal of any type in a car, in the middle of summer, should be taken out and shot. I know she misses us when we are both gone. We put her in a large cage with blankets, food, water, chewy toys . . . but it just ain't the same as when mommy or daddy are home. We can hear her crying when we leave and it makes my heart hurt.

I'm reminded of when Scott, my eldest, was about three or four years old and Mary, my ex, and I, went out for the first time and left him with his first baby sitter. As we pulled out of the driveway, there was Scott, looking out the big front picture window, bawling his eyes out, watching mommy and daddy leaving him, probably forever and ever.

I kinda get that same kind of feeling whenever we leave the pup. But, when we return, do we ever get lots of puppy kisses!

I call her Trixie; evelyn calls her Bella.
She doesn't really care what we call her, just as long as she gets to love us and gets loved in return.

We are having so much fun with this little tyke that I keep asking myselfe,
"why did we wait so long?"

This house is a happy house.