What to do...?

So what do you do when life seems to be a bit up in the air?

Well, if you are Robert "Absolutely No More Pets" Keeler and Katy "Softie of the Century" Keeler, I'll tell you what you do--

You decide it's the 'right time' to get a PUPPY!!!

Holy smokes, I can't believe we are doing this...can you?

No one who has heard Robert on one of his no-pets rants will believe this is actually going to happen! I can hardly believe it myself. Let me give a bit of backstory...Robert was getting so fired up during his 'no more pets' lectures to the kids (especially if Gracie had just done something naughty) that the kids were starting to get really upset. Sophie was crying in her room one night, so worried that something was going to happen to Gracie and they would never have another pet again! :-( We had a little chat about not being quite so hardline about the whole thing...the less said, the better!

Well, you know our family motto could be "Never say never!"

A few months ago, I mentioned to Robert that I had read somewhere about a father who strongly believed that 'every little girl should have a puppy'. It was just a cute story & I shared it with my sweetie. I expected no change of heart, just a smile, but surprisingly Robert told me he'd recently had a conversation with someone along the same lines, and the person pointed out that if you bring a new pup in while the older dog is still around, the oldster will help to teach the newcomer the 'ways of the pack'. This, combined with SERIOUS lobbying from the kids plus a fortuitous visit to the Kloke home last week where I fell in love with their adorable girl Kylie, led to checking into the Jackapoo breed as a possible pet for us.

One thing led to another and we found a breeder who had a puppy (girl) available so I e-mailed just to ask for some general information. I NEVER dreamed this would turn into ANYTHING--trust me on that one! I heard back the next morning (that would be this very morning) and shared the information with Robert. Then the breeder called and I asked Robert to talk to the guy. Hey, we don't need any more pets where I was the 'softie' who begged to have the animal! I am just the accomplice in this Dad story of changing one's mind. :-) LOL.

Within a few hours we had discussed the possibilities--we can drive to meet someone in Iowa on Monday morning!--and voila! It seems we are going to be the very excited & proud owners of a sweet girl Jackapoo puppy...currently named Scarlett! HOW exciting!!! I am still in a bit of shock!

Pros: The kids will be OVER THE MOON, plus they have been proving themselves to be super-responsible pet-sitters as they both have had a dog-sitting job during Spring Break. Robert will be a hero! It will be a lot of fun all the way around and the kids are really a wonderful age both for the responsibility and the co-training of a puppy. :-)

Cons: Definitely we'll be more tied to the house...it's been eons since Robert & I have raised a puppy, and we are not exactly "the dog whisperer" type (but we're going to give it our best effort). Will the pup get along with Gracie? Time will tell.

More updates soon. I hope to post a photo, too!