Tater's Chip

We knew when we lost Chloe that it wouldn't be long and we'd be ready to rescue another. We thought we'd wait a month or so. At first we couldn't tell if Tater was missing Chloe, but after a few days, she seemed depressed. She just hung out in the bedroom, away from us. She used to always sit on the couch, by Chloe. The weather has been unseasonably warm, so we've spent quite a bit of time in the yard over the past week. When Lily and I would be outside, Tater wanted us to chase her, they way Chloe used to. We tried, but we couldn't keep up with her quick little legs. It made me sad to see her without a friend.

I started keeping an eye on Petfinder.com, watching for small, short haired, playful yet cuddly dogs. I wanted a dog similar to Chloe only smaller, making it easier for our entire family to fit in the car. Nearly every weekend we are on the road to somewhere and we are usually packed pretty tight. As for the short hair, I just prefer short haired dogs for some reason. So sue me.

We went and checked out a few dogs but none really stood out as THE dog.

My friend Lex actually found Chip at the Hendrick's County Animal Shelter. She had visited the shelter looking for a dog that might fit the bill for us. She called saying that there were 3 that might work, but she was pretty sure the one that I would like best was a little Jack Russell that had been found as a stray.

Lily and I jumped in the car and headed up there to check the dogs out. The first 2 we saw were quite cute, but one look at the last little guy and I was pretty sure he was THE ONE. He had been in the shelter for a week and they said he looked young, but over 1 year old.

We took him into the "Visitation Room", which made us feel a little like we were visiting a convict. He was playful and sweet. That was it!

We brought him home Tuesday night. in the first 24 hours, he had a few accidents. He lifted his leg on the trash can, the toy box and once by the door. I caught him in the act each time and was able to give him a stern "NO!". Scared the poor little guy to death. It must have gotten through to him because we have now had an accident free 24 hours. I'm not delusional enough to think we've got him completely potty trained already, but it is quite a start!

He was not leash trained at all either, but he is learning that quickly, too. He seems very smart and observant.

Tater is warming up to him. Today they were playing and jumping around for awhile, which was quite sweet. Tater is definitely still trying to show him that she is Alpha Dog. He seems to be okay with that. The cats don't even seem to realize he is a dog, probably because he is so darned small (he weighs 12.5 lbs right now, but could definitely use to gain a few). Ed is usually scared of new dogs in the house but he even slept on top of Chip's wire crate.

So far, he seems like a great addition to the family. Lily calls him "poppy" (puppy). She also calls him Chip. Unfortunately, her pronunciation of his name sounds very similar to a four letter swear word beginning with the letter "S". Oops!