It's a BOY!!

While the girls still have the advantage in the house, our family is growing by one boy! Tonight Brady and I adopted a 1 year old Husky mix :)

So we decided over the weekend that Gracie really needs a friend to play with. This was as we watched her wandering aimlessly in the backyard trying to get a glimpse at our neighbor's dogs. Plus Annie's never been one to play with other dogs. Brady went to Animal Control yesterday to take a look at the dogs (specifically a female Husky mix I saw online) before he picked me up from work. Before we made any final decisions, we wanted Gracie to meet any potential new family members. She loves to play with other dogs, but because Gracie is a sensitive soul, their personalities needed to go well together.

I wasn't looking forward to having to see all the dogs because I'd love to save them all, but I tried to focus on the adoptables who were similar to what we were looking for. First, we had Gracie meet Sheeba, the female Husky mix. We went and got her out of the back of the Vue and she immediately caught the eye of a group just leaving. They immediately stopped in their tracks and watched to see if we were turning her in. Not that we blame them, Gracie is one beautiful doggie :) I made a point of saying to Gracie: "Let's go get you a friend" so they'd know we weren't about to give her up. Anyways, so we went around back to introduce her to Sheeba.

She loved us, but wasn't as interested in Gracie. She also jumped on us, on Gracie, and there was a snarling incident. Their personalities just weren't clicking. We wanted a friend for Gracie and if Sheeba wasn't showing much interest in her, it wouldn't work. There was also the concern over jealousy issues if they were both fighting for our attention.

We both went back inside to see if there were any other dogs. There was another Husky mix that didn't have the needed adoption paper on the kennel run gate saying she was available. We asked the guy who was helping us about her and he went inside to check since it showed she had been there for a week and it's only a 4 day waiting period before they're put up for adoption. When we had walked by her the first time, she sniffed us, but didn't really react to us. The next time she was all curled up and didn't respond when we tried to talk to her even though her eyes were open. She just looked very sad.

He came back and told us she was actually available for adoption--someone had apparently dropped the ball and the poor dog hadn't been allowed out of the kennel or even be considered for adoption--so he brought her out. She and Gracie slowly approached each other, sniffed noses, and then the tails started wagging. Brady came outside about that time and was first to notice that she was actually a he. We really weren't wanting a boy since we didn't have any experience with boy dogs, but they were really getting along and their personalities seemed to go well together. They're both mellow, which is good. We didn't want a young puppy going in. 1 year old is perfect :)

They were about to close so we got the tag to bring up to the business office, said goodbye to our boy, and went up to fill out the papers. There were quite a few people so we had to wait awhile. Meanwhile Gracie was in the back of the Vue, just laying down, probably thanking her lucky stars for being spoiled rotten. As we sat there, we looked up at the pricing board, which said the adoption fee range was $60-150 depending on age, size, breed, etc. Brady asked me how much I'd pay for him. I told him whatever it was was fine. When our number was called, we were told he was FREE. No adoption fee, just the $50 charge for the license, etc. They were doing this since most people want a puppy and they have a hard time adopting the bigger dogs. This also includes getting him neutered, which would have been expensive at any outside vet. The man helping us also told us it was our lucky day and gave us a brand new dog bed. No one else in front of us in line had been given one so that was a nice little extra so that our new doggie feels right at home. We also added the microchip option for him.

So Brady gets to pick him up from their clinic today! I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see Brady, especially after the "procedure" this morning. Brady filled the back of the Vue with blankets and his new bed too so it'll be nice and cushy for him. That's a far cry from the concrete floor he was used to! We're going to stop at Petco on the way home then and get some more dog food, a gentle lead collar and leash, and let him pick out a couple toys if he's feeling up to it.

Now we just have to name him!

Oh, be on the lookout for a blog this weekend. We're taking care of my parents' three dogs so we'll have a total of 6 dogs of all sizes in our house :) Most are pretty laid back, but it'll be funny anyways. Brady is going with his fam to the Brophy Championship football game on Friday night and I'm planning to get the dogs all settled in and hopefully snuggle up with them in the living room and watch a movie!