Puppy Countdown: One Week

A photo posted by Shelece McAllister (@coolshelece) on Feb 11, 2017 at 9:06pm PST

I think I'm getting a little too excited. :) Only one more week! Right now I'm thinking I'll call her Molly or Mimi, which is funny because those were the first two names I considered and then I brainstormed a huge list, but this is what stuck.

Call It Puppy Love

Tonight I met my new best friend.

Hayley ventured with me down near Fort Carson to see that litter of dachshund puppies. I knew there was 1 boy and 2 girls, but I hadn't seen any pictures or anything. I was delighted to discover they are longhaired dachshunds--very pretty little animals, and supposed to be the sweetest of the dachshund variations because of the spaniel in their blood.

The little boy was a beautiful brown color with other colors mixed in (brindle, I think it's called?), and then there were two little black girl puppies, one with a splash of white on her chest and one that was solid black. Hayley and I sat on the couch as the puppies came into the room. I scooped up the little boy and she scooped up one of the girls. The little girl left behind ran around our feet whining until I scooped her up too (which took me about 2 seconds, don't worry!).

It's hard to get a good pic of puppies because they move so much!!

I asked some questions about the puppies' personalities. They said the boy was very playful and so was one of the girls, but the smallest girl was mild like her dad. Guess which one I immediately was the most interested in? :) Of course the two girls looked so similar, I'm not sure the one I picked in the end was the one they were talking about.

The sellers left to give us some privacy. We set the puppies on the ground and played with them. The little boy wasn't much interested in us. He was running around the room exploring on his own, a very independent puppy but perhaps not the cuddly lovebug I am looking for. The two sisters took turns climbing into my lap and Hayley's lap. One sister was a little more hyperactive than the other (the girl with the splash of white). The solid black puppy was more content to just cuddle with me, although she did run around and play with the others.

It was SO hard to pick. I think I spent half an hour watching them and feeling hopelessly smitten with them all. But in the end, I decided on my little cuddle buddy.

While I was filling out the paper work, the seller started to put them away, but then she brought back my puppy and put her in my arms. "I'll let you say goodbye." So I snuggled her for a minute and it really started sinking in... she's going to be mine. If she lives as long as Max, she'll be in my life until my mid-forties. I told her, "I'm gonna be your best friend!" And it will be true.

She was born on December 18, and she'll be ready to come home with me around Valentine's Day. I am planning on picking her up on February 19, after I get back from my trip to Melissa's wedding.

I've missed having a dog so much! I'm excited to have that in my life again. Now, I just need to decide what to name her...

One Step Closer

I'm going tomorrow night!

We'll see how this goes. Maybe I'll snap back to my senses at some point... but after just missing out on lovely little Molly I jumped on this ad like a crazy lady.

I tell myself I'm just going to check them out but let's be real... once I see those sweet little puppy faces I'll be a goner. I'll keep you posted!

Puppy Dreams

Confession: I almost got a puppy today.

I've been watching the Humane Society and Craigslist pages for weeks, even though I know I should wait until I've got my own place and I'm in a more stable position.

Well, last night someone posted an adorable little dachshund puppy named Molly. They said that she was really sweet and friendly with everyone. They couldn't keep her because they already had a German Shepherd and their landlord told them they could only have one dog.

Just look at that sweet little face!

I got as far as emailing AND texting to ask if I could come see her, knowing full well that if I did, I'd bring her home. They said, "Hey, yeah." And then I hesitated.

I kept reminding myself that if I got Molly and she lived as long as Max, I'd have her well into my forties, and who knows what would happen during that time? What if my husband or kids ended up being allergic? Or what if the guy I'm going to marry already has a dog that doesn't get along with her? My life is so busy, I asked myself if I really had time for a puppy.

While I was struggling with all this for about an hour, the ad disappeared off Craigslist, and I realized I'd missed my shot. I still texted asking when a good time would be, and the woman said she'd been adopted by a loving elderly couple. I was pretty disappointed and a little bit mad at myself, but... to be fair, I don't think it would have made a difference if I texted back earlier. I was planning on going to see her after work, and that couple would have beat me!

It's a tough dog market in Colorado Springs! Dogs get snatched up from the Humane Society in a few days, the rescues I'm following seem to get slammed with applicants for a lot of their dogs, and Craigslist turns over fast...

But, this is all for the best. I'm really not in a good place to get a dog!

I think I am officially banning myself from looking at dogs anymore. I'm at the brink of caving in.

Introducing... Fuzz!

I did it! I got my hamster! :)

Hayley came with me as my emotional support. She was very patient with me while I paced around the hamster tanks and examined my options. I've been to Petco so often this week I knew all the little animals there, and I could see that they got a new shipment just today. :) That friendly little girl from last Saturday was gone, but there were 4 new tiny dwarf hamsters curled up together in their nest. I didn't go until after 8 pm in the hopes of catching them awake, but no such luck.

But, when I told the employees I was interested in purchasing a hamster, they opened up the tank and pulled off the igloo shelter. That woke all of them up and they scattered around. I stuck my hand in. One little girl ran up and tried to chew it. I scooped up a couple of the other ones. They are so unbelievably soft and fluffy. I found one that didn't nip and seemed somewhat content to be in my arms, so, that one went into a little cardboard box and I carted her home.

Fortunately I live near Petco. She was so terrified in that box! I could see it shaking. But man, I would be too, in her situation.

The box opened on the top. I set it inside the cage and opened it up. She was just huddled in this little terrified ball. I patted her head, and she looked up and realized the box was open. She came right up to the side and let me scoop her up and put her in the cage.

First thing she did was burrow underneath the wheel and go back to sleep. I hoped that meant she wasn't that terrified. Hayley and I hung out for a couple hours, and when I checked on her again, she was happily running on her little exercise wheel. I watched her for a while. She'd run into her little castle shelter, run on the wheel, hop into her food bowl and eat, and every now and then, run up to the front of the cage to look at me. She doesn't seem very scared of me, though definitely still a little shy. And she seems friendly.

For now, I'm calling her Fuzz. :) We'll see if that sticks. There will inevitably be many photos and even some videos probably in the near future! I took a couple but the cage bars make it hard to see, and online it says not to handle her very much for the first day or two as she adjusts to her new environment. I did reach in though and stroke her back with one finger while she was eating, and she didn't seem to mind. She let me do it and didn't run away. Hopefully soon we'll be best buds.

Here's a blurry little preview:

For now, you'll just have to take my word that she is adorable. :)

Almost There

Today I drove 20 minutes across town to pick up this little beauty:

A pink dwarf hamster cage!

And.... no hamster yet. Haha. When I came through the door with the giant box for this thing, my parents said, "Oh, did you get a pet?" Well... no. Online it says that you better have the cage setup before you bring your little guy home, so you can put her into it as soon as possible so she doesn't have to stay in her little cardboard take home box very long. That can be traumatizing.

So! If all goes well, tomorrow I will bring home a little friend. I am not so secretly hoping that the friendly hamster I met on Saturday will still be there. I went by Petco today to check around 5 or so, but all the hamsters were fast asleep in their little igloos. From what I could see, I thought I recognized her from her picture... but then, all Campbell's dwarf hamsters could look very similar. I don't know haha.

I'll keep you all posted. I know you're on the edge of your seats. ;)

Guys, I Want a Pet

I admit to wasting hours of my life lately researching different kinds of animals I could bring home. Dogs are still my favorite, of course, but Max lived to be 15 and a half. I just don't think I can make that kind of a commitment right now. Who knows where I'll be in 15 years? When I get a pet, I want to be able to keep it for its whole life.

So, I've been looking at small furry things... Gerbils and hamsters and the like. And watching the Humane Society page everyday. For a little while, there's been a rabbit on their page that is just the most adorable thing ever.

Meet Henry

Doesn't he just have the sweetest little face? And his description says he loves to be petted. Some rabbits don't like human contact, but this little guy does. The profile said he was currently at the Petsmart by Chapel Hills. Tonight, I decided I would go take a quick look for myself... See if he is as adorable in person (er... in rabbit?) as he looks online. See if he is friendly. I promised myself I could not take him home, no matter what.

So I went to Petsmart, and unfortunately I think I'm too late. I couldn't find him anywhere. I couldn't even find a rabbit display case anywhere. And of course I wasn't going to ask, because I knew that would put me on a very slippery slope that could lead to bringing home a bunny. Turns out, these guys live for up to 10 years. That's practically a dog's life span. I did laps around the store looking at every other animal. They probably thought I was casing the joint.

They had 3 adorable little guinea pigs, but unfortunately they don't seem to like each other. There's 3 of them and 2 igloos for them to hide in... so they were fighting over them, and there was this little white one with swirly fur that lost the fight and had to sleep out in the open. I felt so bad for that little guy... I almost took him home.

But I made it out of Petsmart without any furry little critters... and then I stopped by Petco because Petsmart was sold out of hamsters and gerbils, and I needed to see all my options, you know?

Usually when I walk by the hamster and gerbil displays, I am completely ignored. But this time, this adorable little girl looked straight at me... then she ran up to the glass and jumped up, reaching for me with her cute little paws. It was adorable. I started thinking maybe I'd found the one. Then I gave in to my instagram instincts and got out my camera... The sudden movement freaked her out and she ran back into her little igloo.

And then I wandered to the Gerbil cage, where I found this sweet little guy. He wasn't quite as friendly. He'd stand up on his hind legs and look at me, get nervous and run for cover, run back and look at me, and then run away again.

Yeah... I think at this point, it's only a matter of  time... I'll be taking one of these little guys home any day now!