My husband and I, we done lost our minds. See that little nugget off to the right?
Reader, meet Teddy.
Check out how excited Bailey is! Yeah, not really.
We are now the proud parents of two golden retriever puppies. Yes, we are "those people," the ones who call themselves parents because they have dogs -- but look, you come spend a day taking care of these creatures and see how it goes.
Golden retrievers are the goofy teenage boys of the canine world... they mature quite a bit later than most dogs. They remain puppies (in mind if not body) until between ages two and three. Bailey is 17 months old, and -- it must be said -- she is what I would call a "late bloomer." She is still 100% puppy.
So last week we thought, hey, how fun would it be to have two puppies? Double the fun, that sort of thing.
Well.
Caged beasts, I tell you (all three of them).
Teddy is totally fearless. Which sounds like a fantastic trait, except when you're 8 weeks old and 10ish pounds. He isn't supposed to be jumping -- bad for the tiny, growing bones -- but he is flying off of everything. Our couch, the steps, the bed. He actually jumped from the arm of the couch over the baby gate in the picture above, trying to get to the back room where the coveted dog food awaits.
Since we brought him home on Saturday afternoon, he has peed five times and pooped once in our house -- thank goodness for hardwood floors. (Sue, am I making this sound exciting yet? See you next weekend!!!) He is really good about "going potty" outside, it's just a matter of getting him there at the right time. Which is almost all the time.
He hates his crate, as most puppies do... but boy, is he vocal about it. Bailey is basically a mute -- she whines now and then, and there's the very very occasional bark, but for the most part, sister is silent.
Teddy, not so much. He howls and yelps and cries and makes the biggest racket possible every time we put him in his crate, all lovingly lined with a sheepskin pad and decked out for fun with a few toys. Nope, no thanks. Our neighbors must think we are actually torturing puppies.
It's hard work, being this much work for everyone else.
Make no mistake from my complaining... he is awesome, and we're in love (I complain about all my loved ones like this).
He's off to be vetted tonight (tee-hee). Bailey needs a beloved-only-child walk around the park in order to maintain her sanity, because Teddy is dunking his face in her water bowl and trying to steal her toys and basically giving her a rude awakening that she is not, in fact, the only dog in the universe. It's good for her, and they'll be best friends in no time, but our first baby needs a little more time to adjust.
Not Kyle and I though -- we are super pumped about waking up at 3:30 AM, three short hours before we start getting ready for work!
Good thing puppies, and Teddy in particular, are so cute. Otherwise, no one would put up with this nonsense.
When you buy a puppy that will be registered with the American Kennel Club you get to have all sorts of fun picking out an AKC name. It isn't the name you yell at the park, but it's their "official name." Like, you wouldn't call me Mrs. Caroline Ann Stevenson, you'd call me Carrie.
Just the same, you wouldn't call Bailey "Maple Run's Angel, Second Class" -- but that's her name. The breeder's kennel name comes first, and then you pick out the rest. Get it? It's a Wonderful Life... George Bailey... Clarence Oddbody is his guardian angel, "second class" because he doesn't have his wings yet... no?
Angel, Second Class = Bailey. It's tangential at best, but that's the name we chose for her, and I love it (totally fits her personality by the way).
For Teddy -- who might just grow up to be a bit of a show dog (what a stud, pun intended) -- we still aren't totally sure what his AKC name will be. There is a winter theme for the names of this litter of puppies. It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite Christmas movies, so that's wintery, plus then he'll be like his adopted sister.
So we could go with Cabin Creek's It's a Wonderful Life, or I'm Giving out Wings (that one is very obscure too, but I have a soft-spot for its sound).
But after having him for a few days, I'm leaning another direction. So for now, even though it's not official yet...
Welcome Cabin Creek's Abominable Snowman (AKA Teddy!)