When we started talking seriously about getting a dog for Christmas I couldn't help but imagine a scene straight out of the movies where we surprised the kids with a puppy on Christmas morning. It didn't take me long to realize that it would be nearly impossible to pull that off and it was just all around a bad idea. Plus, the more I read about puppy selection, the more I knew that I wanted the kids to be involved in the whole process of picking out and preparing for a puppy. I'm so glad we decided to do it this way because it has really given the kids a sense of ownership and commitment from day one instead of it being a novelty that just appears and then wears off quickly.
The plan was to pick Zoey up on Tuesday after the kids got out of school for Christmas Break. As the day got closer and we were finalizing plans with the breeder we decided it would work out better for everyone's schedule to pick her up a day earlier - but we didn't tell the kids and decided maybe we would try to get a surprise in after all. On Monday night, for family home evening, we surprised the kids by having an early Christmas. I wrapped all our new puppy stuff and put it under the tree. I had been hiding all the packages as they came throughout the month and Brynn was starting to get very worried that none of our supplies had come yet and we were picking up Zoey the next day. She was extremely relieved and excited when we started opening the presents and she realized everything was there. After all the presents had been opened and little voices could be heard saying things like, "I wish we had her here with us right now!" and "I don't think I can wait through a whole day of school tomorrow. I am too excited!" we told the kids we had one more Christmas surprise. I told them all to go put on their shoes and coats and get in the car ... because we were going to get our puppy! They all exploded with excitement and ran around the house screaming for several minutes. I'm pretty sure I even saw a few glistening tears on Brynn's cheek.
We drove out to Mapleton and picked up our sweet pup. She was so nervous and scared as we got in the car. I sat in the back seat holding her tight and trying to soothe and calm her as she whimpered and I could feel her little heart racing. When we got home the kids couldn't get enough of Zoey and completely wore her out. Once she had crashed we were able to pull the kids away from her and get them to bed. Then we began our first night home with a puppy.
In a lot of ways it felt like the first night bringing a baby home. Scott set up our video monitor and he watched her every move and listened to her every sound all night long. The night went better than I ever could have hoped for. Her whining was minimal and really only lasted a few minutes each time we took her potty and she had to get settled back in her pen. My heart broke thinking of how scared and alone she must feel. The mother in me couldn't help but sit close to her and pet her until she was settled each time. I wanted to make sure she felt loads of love during this transition. Of course she refused to sleep on the mat or blankets we had for her and just slept on the hard floor instead. We were 1 for 5 on successful potty trips during the night which was a little discouraging, but the next day she started getting the hang of it and has caught onto potty training really well. She stays in the main room where we rolled up all the rugs leaving just laminate floors, which makes house training much less stressful because when an accident does happen it's a quick and easy clean up.
It's only been a week but we are all completely in love with this pup. I can't even count how many times a day one of us can be heard saying what a good dog Zoey is and what a perfect fit for our family she is. Like I said, it has been a LOT of work so far, and I know that there is still a lot more to come. But I am already seeing some of the positive effects I was hoping a dog would bring to my kids and seeing them all so happy makes it totally worth all the time and energy I will be putting into this addition to our family.
Mason had a connection with Zoey from the minute we met her. He was a big reason why we chose her even though she was the bigger than we originally wanted. "I just love looking into her eyes" he frequently says. I think this is the beginning of a great friendship for him.
Brynn is on cloud nine with Zoey finally home. As soon as the breeder handed her over to us Brynn hugged me and said, "I'm not the only girl in our family anymore." with a big grin. Brynn has so much love to give and Zoey is one lucky puppy to be on the receiving end of it.
Of all the kiddos, Miles is the one I was most unsure how he would respond to having a dog. So far he loves her a whole lot.
Welcome to the family Zoey!
