I got myself something for Christmas this year… a puppy!  Yes, I know. Your first thought is, “are you crazy?” or maybe it was “better you than me”, or maybe you just laughed and shook your head.  I assume that, because that’s normally how I respond when someone tells me that they basically lost their little minds to the unending cuteness, whining, and the pitter-patter of four little paws.

If you are familiar with my blog, you might remember my posts about my crazy dog that had issues beyond what training, Prozac, and a dog whisper could fix.  I had to put him down about 6 months ago, because he was hurting himself uncontrollably.  It was extremely difficult, and I am still saddened by the loss.  I swore I was done with pets, and I was just going to keep our older dog comfortable till it was her time, and then we would be a pet free home.  Now I have a twelve and a half, year old lab, pit mix and a thirteen-week-old Morkie.  I guess I need to be more careful with my resolutions.

It all started when one of my best friends bread her little Yorkie with her next-door neighbors Maltese.  She was only planning on 2-3 puppies. One each for the parents and one for my friend’s daughter.  When the time came, though, that little yorkie birthed six puppies!  I went over to see them when they were only 3 days old… and was sold.

After that, I visited the litter once or twice a week.  I choose my puppy when they were about 2 weeks, and didn’t name her till 6 weeks.  Naming a puppy is harder than it sounds.  I had decided on the name, Rue, but after visiting her again and calling her that, I quickly realized that couldn’t be her name.  Her name is Olive, and it suits her perfectly.

I brought her home at 7 weeks.  The first week was a little tough.  She was not too happy about sleeping without her family.  After my experience with my other crazy pup, I am determined to train my little Olive by the book.  No sleeping with me, unless the sun is up.  It only took about a week, or maybe two, but she now loves her crates, and she even goes into them on her own for naps.  I don’t have to worry about her at night, or when we leave the house, because she is safe and content in her crate.

Housebreaking is a full time job though.  My friend had Olive and her family in a crate, and began paper-training right away.  By increasing the puppy’s area, and decreasing the newspapers, Olive learned pretty quickly that newspapers were potties.  She also took them outside to the same place shortly after feeding, so they were learning to go outside as well.  Strangely, Olive only likes to go in mulch.  It’s better for me.  I don’t have to clean up the yard and it fertilizes my garden.

Now, I feed her on a schedule, and I have figured out how long it takes her to digest.  She goes outside 95% of the time, and then she will use the newspaper if I don’t make it.  At 13 weeks old, she only misses occasionally.

Puppies are a lot of work.  Three of my four kids are grown and moved on, and my youngest is in high school.  I kind of thought having this puppy would help me fill my mama void.  Don’t get me wrong, parenting adults is still fulfilling, and definitely a big part of my life, but something about having a puppy… a little, fluffy, lovable animal, that listens, and loves unconditionally, and is always happy to see you…something about a puppy can make any bad day better.  Really.

Do you have a puppy story?