Settling In

On our way to Mom and Dad's. He rode in the back of Zach's rental Fiat! Such a good traveler.

Tuckered out after playing at Mom and Dad's.

My Valentine!

Well, it's been a week since we brought Remy home and he is definitely showing another side to his initial timid and shy demeanor. Now he is quite an energetic little pup who loves chewing everything and howling at the top of his lungs when he sees another dog. He continues to try to chase and play with our unwilling felines, and he is not housebroken! No longer the sweet, snugly, innocent dog who first arrived, but it's fun to see him becoming so comfortable in our home.

We do not have a fenced-in yard, so we take him for at least two walks each day and he requires a minimum of three miles per walk to have any calming effect. The other morning I walked two miles with him before leaving for work and I think it just woke him up! He came inside and just tore back and forth through the house! I know part of the reason for wanting a dog was to get both of us back into shape and I certainly think he'll be doing that!

We introduced Remy to Sparkle and Ceilee (my parents' dogs) and he was very excited to be able to play with another dog. I think they'll get along fine. Next visit we'll let them off-leash in the yard and see how it goes!

During his time with the foster family, Remy was allowed to sleep in their bed, so this was an established habit for him. I'm not too keen on the idea of sharing a bed with him, but did allow him to hop up when invited. I broke down today, though, and removed my hand-made quilt and replaced it with a less precious alternative so that his snuggling could be less inhibited. I think the cats would rather he stay off their puffy mattress, but he's just too cute to resist!

All in all, we're so glad to have him as a part of our family!

Remy

We have loved getting to know Remy (formerly Hermie) and he is settling in well. The cats have now become accustomed to his presence and for the most part are just fine with him. So far his most favorite thing is snuggling in our laps! He's quite calm and is a dream on the leash. These photos are from our first weekend together.

Our Newest Addition!

I apologize for the huge gap in my postings, but frankly, things haven't been fabulous and I was just waiting for a some better news to share with you. And, I have some GREAT news! Tomorrow we'll be bringing home our first dog, Hermie!

We starting thinking about getting a dog about two months ago, but those conversations were filled with many "well", "if," "maybe," "I don't know" phrases. But Jingles was our first love through Castaway Critters rescue organization. Unfortunately Jingles was placed before we had an opportunity to even meet her. Then there were many more along the way that never seemed to work out for some reason or another.

I continued to keep an eye on the rescue websites and found Hermie's page last Saturday. I emailed the foster and we met him the following day. Zach and I both fell in love with him because of his sweet personality. We made a decision to adopt him that day!

Thankfully his story will have a happy ending because the initial plan was euthanasia after only seven days in a West Virginia shelter. Within 24 hours of his placement with Castaway Critters, we had agreed to adopt him. We're counting down the hours for his seven day hold with Castaway to expire and we will be picking him up tomorrow!

I am sharing his photo and video that came from the West Virginia shelter. Of course, I will have many more pictures once he is in our home! Can't wait!