First Weekend With Val

It was a tough few days getting Val's new home puppy ready, but we did it. Then we had to go buy Val all the basics a puppy needs. We bought a four pack of baby receiving blankets for comfort as well as the ability to wash them & still have some ready to use. He also got a bed, which he'll grow into, some stuffing free squeaky toys, some balls to chase, a baby kong, food bowls, harness, leash,collar & a crate.

We drove up to GR to get Val from M & her husband. Tank had been adopted that Monday (hurrah for Tank!) so Val was a lonely little duck. We squared away the papers & the 2nd half of the payment & I asked about a dozen more questions. They gave us his bed to take home with us (smells like his mom & littermates), a toy & a bag of dog food. I know M was really sad to see him go, but I'm so thankful to her & her husband for taking such good care of Val, and for letting us become his family.

Poor little guy cried for about 15 minutes once we got into the car with him & drove away. He sat in my mom's lap and just cried and cried, then he got curious & forgot to be upset. He wanted to crawl all over the car (he didn't get to) and stare out the window & basically be a little silly puppy. First thing out of the car I took him over to a potty spot, he didn't pee but he did sniff around. He took to his new green bed instantly, I put his old bed into the crate & he climbed into it and took a two hour nap.

One thing I learned the hard way, always always always take the puppy out to be the minute they wake up! He woke up from his nap, got out, took about three steps over to a little spot in between my desk & the bookshelf & peed! While I was busy running to get paper towels to mop up the pee he took the opportunity to scope out another spot (behind my wingback chair) and he pooped! Both spots were cleaned & sprayed heavily with Nature's Miracle to eradicate the scent. And let me tell you, I've taken him out as soon as he wakes up ever since! And make sure you carry them outside, don't let them walk beside you, because they will stop & take a pee on the way out if given 1/2 the chance.

I removed Val's bed from the crate & put down the foam pad & the divider, then I put in one of his new blankies & a toy for him. He slept in the crate that first night, but I didn't! I literally could not fall asleep, I was so worried he would need to get out ot pee & I wouldn't hear him that i just dozed for hours. He woke up around 3:00 am & I took him out to pee, which thankfully he did & quickly. I brought him back into the bedroom & went to put him back in the crate. I set him down on the floor & took my coat off. Guess what he did? He ran right over to my bed, stood up on his little hind legs & pawed at it as if saying "I sleep with you mama!" Sucker that I am, that's where he slept for the rest of the night, curled up against me on the bed. Bad habit I am setting for him I know. I still didn't get any sleep, but at least Val didn't pee in the bed.

Meet Valiant

I've been looking for a dog for several months. I wasn't sure if I wanted a puppy, or if I wanted to look for an older dog. I wasn't sure if I wanted a Scottish Terrier or a Yorkshire Terrier or a Shih Tzu- Yorkie Mix (Shorkie) like my sister has. I spent several months looking at petfinder for a dog at the local shelters. I don't know what it is about my area but all the dogs around here that end up in the shelter are Pit Bulls, Chihuahuas are some mix where one parent was a Pit Bull or a Chihuahua.

I finally settled on a Miniature Schnauzer after we saw one at the pet store. No it wasn't that kind of pet store, this one only sells gerbils, birds, and fish. The dog was leaving the grooming area of the pet store with his owner. He walked right up to us & let us pet him, he was so friendly! He even let a 15 month old baby run right up to him and smoosh his face without getting upset. I talked to the owner for awhile about the breed, and her dog in particular. Then I started looking.

A couple of months later I saw an ad in the paper for Miniature Schnauzer puppies. I called the number Saturday evening, by Sunday afternoon I had driven with my mom up to GR to meet the last puppy she had. Turns out she had two, both males. One they called Tank (he was 2x's the size of his siblings) and one half his size they were calling Irish. After talking to M and her husband for an hour & a half, meeting Mom & hearing about Dad (and of course playing with the puppies) I picked Irish, henceforth known as Valiant or Val for short. I really liked Tank too, but he would growl at me a little bit when I would first start petting him & seemed more interested in M than us. Val would just happily sit in my lap & he was spunky around Tank.

I was ready for a puppy but I wasn't ready for a puppy! I asked M to keep Val until the following Friday (which was changed to Thursday) so we could puppy proof & buy essentials. I've never had a puppy before so this is going to be an interesting experience. I've read the puppy books, but I dont think anyone can be too prepared when they bring a bundle of furry energy into their lives. So I've decided to chronical my adventures, raising a puppy & hopefully not losing too many shoes in the process.

Here's Val's first photo: 10 weeks old