It's a BOY!

A few days back I spotted this sweet little Irish Terrier on Petfinder.com. Wasatch Animal Rescue had rescued him from a puppy mill in Missouri and they were looking for a family that might be able to offer him some stability. Benjamin and I had decided that we still wanted to try to find the right dog, but that we weren't in a hurry about it (especially after our less than stellar experience with Jasper a few months back). We thought maybe sometime around Spring... Well, you know how that goes. We put the idea out there and manifested our match. So here he is: our nameless 4 month old cutie. We have narrowed the potential names down to just a few faves and are waiting to see how his personality unfolds.

Of course, being an Irish Terrier, it is only fitting that he bear an Irish name. What do you think? Fergus? Murphy? Finnegan? Clover? We're still open to suggestions... As you can see, Sebastian is in love. He is already covering the poor dog in kissins and huggins. A boy and his dog; perfection.

Our family is happy to finally have a canine friend in the house. Now we are just keeping our fingers crossed that my crazy deaf cat gives him some space and a warm welcome.

***Update: The winning name is MURPHY! We spent the day throwing names around and getting to know him a little bit. This evening we asked Sebastian what he thought the puppy's name should be. Actually, we asked him 3 times to be sure. Each time he answered "Murphy". The first time we asked he looked at us like we were crazy for not knowing; so matter-of-fact. It seems fitting that the boy would name his first real puppy friend. I'm sure going to enjoy watching them grow together.

So long, furry friend.

We went in search of a dog at the beginning of April and came home with Jasper. Big, beautiful, cuddly, neurotic, possessive, cat chasing, stuff chewing Jasper. Ben fell in love with him at first sight. Sebastian loved to chase and play with him. Honestly, it took me some time to come to love him. I LOVE animals... and it was my idea to get a dog. This, however, turned out simply to not be a good match for our family. While he was overall gentle, he knocked Sebastian over constantly due to his size and level of excitement. On two occasions, Sebastian was bitten while attempting to play while Jasper was enjoying a treat. Both instances resulted in big bruises on Sebastian's legs. On top of all of that, this guy chewed up anything and everything he had access to when left alone for more than a half hour. We aren't gone much, but we do occasionally like to get out. 

We wrestled with our decision for a couple of weeks, and finally we realized that the stress of having him around was much greater than the stress of letting him go... Which is saying a lot considering my lack of sleep this past week. We took him in and provided detailed information to the shelter so he can be placed with an appropriate family. We rescued him from a 'no kill' shelter and had an agreement to return him to them if things didn't work out. For that I am thankful. Jasper will find a home. (I still cried my eyes out when we turned him over). 

I'm not sure what Sebastian thinks about it all. He was sleeping when we did the deed, and then Jasper was gone. 

Jasper: We send you off with wishes for a happy life in a loving home; with older children and cats that love to be chased. May you have tons of room to run, someone to walk you as much as you need, a friend to rub your belly and put peanut butter in your Kong toy. It was so hard to let you go... and I already miss you so.