I Got a Dog (!!!)

So I have some news I probably should have shared weeks ago. I bought a puppy! Everyone in my life, including me, is really, really surprised that I did this. See, I've never been a huge "fan" of dogs. I mean, I like them and all, but my relationship with dogs tends to be one of toleration rather than love. I have always known that I want to own dogs, especially when/if I ever have kids, but I didn't expect to own a dog as a single person, especially since I will be living in apartments for the foreseeable future.

...Which is the other surprising part about this whole thing. I got a small dog. My family has always only ever owned large dogs and frankly, I don't even like small dogs. I barely even tolerate them when they're around. However, several years ago we visited some family friends and met their little Maltese dogs, which were totally awesome and don't shed! (Dog hair is one of the main reasons I'm not a huge fan - I hate it when the hair gets all over my clothes and then I have to wash/iron them.) Since Malteses don't shed and are super sweet little animals, I told myself right then that if were ever to get a small dog, it would be a Maltese.

Then, on February 6th, 2012, I was studying with a friend from church and he told me about a puppy an acquaintance of his was trying to sell. She was 7 weeks old and half Maltese, half Poodle. Well, after I saw the picture, I couldn't get her out of my mind! The price was right, so I called the guy and went to look at her the next Saturday with my sister, Abba. I decided to buy her!

Since she didn't have any of her shots, she stayed with a friend for a few days and then I brought her down to my parents' place - I didn't want to have her stay with me until she was fully vaccinated because Sacramento has one of the highest rates of Parvo. But I'm bringing her home this weekend and I cannot wait! The timing is really perfect because I'll be on spring break, plus since we just had daylight savings, there will be plenty of daylight at the end of the day for us to go play/walk in the park.

My pup's name is Cora and she is so sweet & playful! I decided to litter box train her, which I thought was really weird, but after googling it, I saw that litter box training is actually really common with little dogs. And one of my coworkers actually used to have a Cocker Spaniel/Poodle mix that she litter box trained. So far, Cora has done really well with the training. It took her a few days to get the idea, but she has been piddling in the box consistently for a few weeks now and my mom just told me today that she has started to poop consistently in the box, too. (Sorry if that is TMI!).

Anyways, I am really, really surprised but SO happy that I bought her! I know she will bring lots of love, joy, and activity to my life for years to come and I can't wait to start studying with a little dog by my side :).