It's a boy!

In an effort to suppress The Fever, Jason knew action needed to be taken.. and fast. It seems everyone and their dog (no pun intended) is pregnant or nursing these days, and suddenly Jason and I are alone in a big, quiet house uncertain what to do next. So we sprung into action. (and not in a dirty way, haha)

I've wanted a dog for a long long time. My two best friends growing up had a schnauzer and a shitzu, and I watched them feed their dogs, walk their dogs and play with their dogs summer after longing summer. Don't get me wrong, I did everything in my power to get a dog. I picked and sold fresh raspberries to my neighbors, hoping my single dollars would one day add up to a single puppy- a dog I could call my own.

My parents had different thoughts though. I wasn't completely deprived, I had a bunny and my parents made a deal that I could have a dog as soon as I sold my rabbit. I was desperate, so I said goodbye to my one and only pet Patches in a sacrificial effort to get what I really wanted. Eleven years later and I'm still bitter about that. I never got a dog.

Until now. :)

Swiftly upon returning from our cruise, I started browsing the KSL ads. Jason and I had agreed months ago to get a little dog as soon as circumstances allowed. We wanted to be married, and preferably live somewhere that allowed dogs, then of course we wanted the right dog!

I told The Captain about four different ads, and we agreed to call about a schnauzer/yorkie mix in Clarkston. We'd always talked about a yorkie as our future dog, but I also love schnauzers and shitzus, so when we heard about the schnauzer/yorkie we figured a mixed breed might help with the yappy/nervous bladder problems associated with most yorkie pups. Plus, we were adamant about getting a brand-new puppy that we could train ourselves, not a 1 year dog familiar with someone else's rules.





So I called up Stacy in Clarkston, crossing my fingers there would be one boy left of the four-puppy litter. Lucky for us, there was one boy and one girl left, and Stacy said the remaining boy was her favorite of the entire litter. "He's a cuddler," she said. "He's quieter and calmer than the rest of them. He's just a sweetheart." Satisfied with her description of him, we made the trip to Clarkston, buried in the hills west of Logan. To say the least, we fell in love with his sweet face and even sweeter puppy personality.




Sadly though, we had to leave him in Clarkston. He was only five weeks old and not yet eating solid food. He was so tiny he could fit in the palms of my two hands! So we left him, and every day after that we talked about the little guy we couldn't wait to see again. We visited Petsmart, Walmart, Target and Petco, comparing all the best accessories for our dog's needs.





Apparently I'm picky about dog beds, because every bed I came across looked like cat beds to me. They were ugly and matted, and I hate cats so I don't want my puppy to remind me of a kitten in any way. I told Jason, "I want to find a dog bed that we'd want to sleep in if we were his size." That's harder to find than you think though. That is until I found out about the Martha Stewart line at Petco.

This bed is embroidered with dog bones (no kitty cat here!), and fluffy as a cloud. It's square, not round, and perfect for our little puppy. I know, I know, I'm way too picky. Thank you Martha!

I love this little fish toy. Funny thing is our baby Oliver can barely pick it up yet.

Sunday finally came, and we were given the OK to pick up our puppy. On the ride home, he snuggled up in my jacket and went right to sleep.

It took us days to name him, I don't know how we'll ever name kids. Jason wanted something masculine like Godzilla or Hercules, but I fought for something sweet, like Truffle or Theodore. Finally we agreed on Oliver, and Ollie for short.

The only bad thing about our new pup is the fact that I'm crazy allergic to him! I always thought it was cats and big shedding dogs that do the trick, but it must be pet dander in general. I swiftly bought a 24 pack of Benadryl, but I constantly feel like as if I have a bad cold. My friend Diana recommended getting a hypoallergenic shampoo for people, but I'm not yet ready to give up the peppermint puppy shampoo I just got from Martha Stewart. She said my body will eventually get used to the puppy dander. Is that true? Does anyone have any ideas how to combat my new allergy?

The first night he went right to sleep, too scared to explore his surroundings and only familiar with his bed. But each day he got more comfortable in our home, at one point coming up to Jason's side of the bed and crying until Jace finally got up. He always wants to play in the middle of the night, but The Captain is practicing puppy training to get it right.

Since Thursday was such a gorgeous day, we took him outside to get used to cement, grass, etc. He did really well surprisingly, running all the way to the stop sign at the bottom of our street.

We must have tuckered out his little legs though, because coming back home was a different story.

During our puppy research I've learned it's important to expose your puppy to new experiences at a young age so he'll be okay with the unfamiliar later in life. Famliarizing them with tile, stairs, and different age groups of people and animals are just a few important things early on.

He learned a lot of things at the park.

We even ran into some full-grown schnauzers. They were gentle, but Ollie wasn't crazy about them sniffing and following him around. He'd hide behind Jason whenever we'd let him.

I'm pretty sure Ollie is the birth control I need. Now we have to think twice about time away from home. To celebrate our one-month married mark Jason and I went to the Mayan on Friday, leaving Ollie with my family. We'd planned on seeing The Adjustment Bureau afterwards, but just like a baby, we can't leave him with my mom all night. I'm feeling the reality of responsibility already!

Since he doesn't do well on his own just yet, I just take him with me on errands. I never wanted to be a Paris Hilton, but suddenly I am the girl with a dog poking out of my faux Chanel bag. Those special dog purses are $70+, so I found a roomy purse I already owned, layed down a soft towel and a toy, and carried him right into the grocery store! He's so quiet, and he goes right to sleep from the rocking of my walk. No one even knew he was there until he poked his head out to see what was going on in Costco. The Captain and I were eating lunch, and the guy next to me said with a heavy accent, "Is that a dog in that Chanel bag??" His wife and friends were crazy about little Ollie, and they wanted to know all about his age/weight/breed/etc.

We've had a lot of that lately. People act like they've never seen a dog before when they get around Ollie. When we went on that walk a car driving by slowed way down and creeped along beside us, pressing their noses out the window to see. People are always asking to pet and hold him, drooling over his little legs. I've decided he looks like a bear from behind- the way he moves his little legs as he goes, no wonder Stacy named him Little Bear.

We definitely love our little Ollie. It's funny how quickly they come to love you. He prefers me to almost everyone, shaking and struggling out of peoples' arms until they hand him back to me. There's just something about caring for another living being that is incredibly rewarding. In that way I can't wait to have kids. But for now little Ollie is the perfect addition to our small family.