We're Parents!!!!?!?!?

Puppy parents!!! Meet Alley!!! She is the newest member of our family. Bored? Did I utter that word in my last post. Hmm...I should have known that would come back to kick me in the ass. That was fast!
Last Thursday, Leya (the woman I nanny for) stopped by church with this GORGEOUS, SWEET puppy in their van. She had found her in the alley behind Goodwill, drinking her own pee. Leya has a heart of gold and couldn't possibly leave her, but the Stefanski's also already have two big dogs, and three small children, so she knew she couldn't keep her. Leya put up posters and sent around pictures on facebook and through email and took the dog to the vet to check for a microchip, but had no luck. The puppy immediately befriended her babies and her dogs and was nothing but sweet and loving, but she was still going to need a new home.
I don't really like dogs. I've never had dogs, and I really prefer cats. I know dogs are a ton of work, especially puppies. I totally prefer cats, especially Oscar, who is loving and friendly, but also quite self sufficient. I want a baby not a dog. Jon wants a dog and isn't quite ready for a baby. The problem is, I met the dog, I listened to her sad, sad story, and I caved. I emailed Jon the pictures and of course he was interested. He met the puppy Thursday evening when we were invited to Grandma Rita's house to celebrate Leya's birthday with their family. We are SO grateful to be included by them! Jon was holding her just like a baby. We asked Leya to keep her for the night so we could think about it, but we were only home minutes before we were brainstorming names for our new puppy, and we knew we'd have to have her. On Friday morning, I convinced our landlord to alter our lease agreement and allow us to have a "small" dog (not so much!); one more hurdle overcome.
Alley (because she was found in an alley!) came home with us on Friday evening, after we promised the Stefanski's that I would be bringing her to visit when I come to babysit ( a win-win situation for all of us I think!). The first night was a little rough with three potty accidents within the first few hours, but she slept through the night in the laundry room without crying, and on Saturday we really started to fall into a good routine. We go out to the backyard after we eat, after we drink, every time we sniff the carpet, and sometimes in between. Last night she slept eight hours with no accidents. Hooray! Alley is also learning to "sit" and "come" quite well, and we've found that if we shriek when she play bites with her baby teeth that she stops because she really is so sweet she doesn't want to hurt anybody. We've gone for walks, and are already practicing not tugging on the leash, and tonight we met Nina, Gretchen and Ryan's dog. Alley also plays independently with her toys on the floor from time to time, and she desperately wants to be friends with Oscar Meyer. The kitten is assertive, which is good, but still timid. He has spent the last few days in the safety of our upstairs, mostly under the guest bed. The way things are going we think they will eventually become friends. We hope!

The last piece of the puppy puzzle fell into place yesterday with a trip to our veterinarian (who randomely is from Grand Rapids, MI, lived in Ann Arbor, and worked in Saline for years!). Alley is completely healthy! Alley weighs 23 pounds and our guess is that she is three or four months old. Basically, everyone who talked me into taking this puppy for Jon lied to me when they said she would be a "medium" sized dog. Remember, I don't like dogs, especially big ones! The vet things Alley is a boxer, pitbull, "something else" mix, and the "something else" may be Mastiff, which if you're not familiar is a HUGE dog. The current guess is that Alley will eventually weigh 70 or 80 lbs. Luckily, her sweet, obedient temperament should not change, and knowing how large she could grow has made Jon VERY devoted to making sure she is trained really well.

I have to admit, Alley is a gem, completely adorable and has already made wonderful strides toward earning her spot in our family. No doubt, we'll be posting pictures and updates here often. Now it's time for these exhausted, new puppy parents to get to bed! Come see Alley soon. She can't wait to meet you!