Our New Family Member

Last Saturday, we adopted our new family dog!

 

Heeeeeeeeere's Jeter!

Brian and I have been going back and forth on the idea of getting the kids a dog.  Because Noelle was so amazing, he was pretty committed to the idea of another black lab.  I started looking into breeders last month, but didn't pursue it with too much enthusiasm.

I really wanted to adopt a dog that needed a home, so I joined a local "Rehoming" site on Facebook.  Right after Christmas I saw a female lab who was nine months old.  I couldn't believe it when Brian agreed to go meet her.  Even though we had talked about it, I wasn't entirely sure he was on board for getting another dog.  The dog we met was a lovely pup, but she wasn't quite right for us.  So I kept checking sites, waiting to find the right match for us.

I came across a local Pet Rescue, and I noticed that they had a litter of black lab puppies up for adoption.  I showed Brian, he said yes, we completed the paperwork, and then we snuck away in the middle of a crazy Saturday afternoon to go adopt one!  While I was trying to find out where she was, Brian saw a new set of puppies arrive and he went to check them out.  It turned out the dog that we came for was being adopted by her foster family, but Brian had already found another dog.  This one!

 He was there with his brother, and the best guess on their breed was "lab mix." We held both of the dogs and observed them, and tried to figure out their dispositions.  Jeter was calm but happy, and I couldn't resist his white markings.  Jeter also really liked Brian, so our decision was easy.  I didn't put him down until Brian came back from the ATM with the adoption fee!

Brian and I made our way home with this little guy, and I was able to get him used to our house a bit while he went back to the kids' basketball games.

He found a nice sunny spot to rest.

I recorded their reactions, but they are in love.  We let them in one at a time, and each kid was over the moon about this guy.  Brian and I made a list of names, and then let them choose from our list.  If we'd let them throw out names, the boys would have voted against the girls, their would have been pouting, and the whole moment would have been less fun.  They also chose a middle name for him from our list: Ezra.  It's pretty clear that they all love the Yankees and Star Wars Rebels!

I didn't doubt for a second that Wyatt and Reese would love him, but Hudson and Finley have both been skittish around dogs. They are both in love with Jeter, though.  Hudson walks around saying, "Come here, buddy.  Give me a lick, Jeter!"

And Finley is his favorite treat giver.  She also likes to have him on her lap. He likes to snuggle, so he loves it!

He is growing FAST.  Brian took him to our vet for his first check up last Monday, and he was 12 pounds.  We put him on the scale today and he was 15!  I need to get as many pictures of our puppy as I can because he is going to be HUGE soon!

 

 He is almost house broken, and he does wake up like a newborn at night to go out. When he is feeling upset about being crated at night, he barks.  When he barks, watching Friends cheers him up and makes him stop.  As soon as he hears the theme song, he relaxes! 

He also loves his big backyard!

We all love our puppy, and I'm pretty sure he loves all of his people!  I'm excited to watch their relationships with Jeter develop over time. They are going to be best friends!