New Year, New Additions! Our Newest Dog LUNA

2012 is rolling through with ease.  I have a renewed sense of energy (possibly just caused by an extreme case of caffeine jitters), a zest for getting back in the kitchen, and a larger family!!

I want to take a moment to introduce you to the newest addition to our family: LUNA!

Hello, sweet girl! Wish my dirty sneakers weren't in the background, grsh!

D and I had been contemplating expanding our starter family for months now.  Little Miss B seemed depressed and between our busy work schedules and (let's be honest) laziness, she wasn't getting the proper  exercise that she needed.  When we lived downtown we always said, when we get a house with a fenced in yard, we'll look into getting a second dog.  Then when we moved into our new home we started focusing on projects and the 2nd dog idea got pushed to the side.  Now, several months in, many of our projects have been checked off our list so we decided to look into it again.

Between D and I, we put in some serious man-hours surfing the web and looking at the local shelter websites.  I focused most of my energy on Indianapolis Animal Control.  They are filled to the brim with cats and dogs and sadly, they appear to be a fairly high-kill shelter (none of the animals seemed to have an intake date longer than a few months).  Because of this, their adoption fees are only $60 compared to the $125+ we'd seen elsewhere.

I went there on 4 separate occasions, both with and without D and Little Miss B to scope out the prospects.  It is so insanely sad walking through Doggie Death Row.  So many of these animals seem like they'd be the perfect Best Friend for any family while others look like they have lost hope and know their fate.  I could never work there because you'd eventually see me on an episode of Animal Hoarders.  I have to give many thanks and much admiration to the workers and volunteers that dedicate themselves to such a stressful and, oftentimes, tragic job.

Over the weekend, I finally convinced D to come look at some of the dogs I'd previously looked at.  We drove over there and I had him go walk through the kennels and narrow down the ones he liked to introduce to B.  The shelter staff member brought at 3 dogs out, one at a time, for a more personal meet and greet.  Although B seemed to get along with all of them, there just weren't *SPARKS*.  B seemed a bit overwhelmed and just plain over it when our final candidate was brought out.  Talk about saving the best for last.  She was a brilliantly, brindle-colored, one year old mutt, slightly bigger than B but similar in build.  They immediately hit it off, playfully romping around together outside.  Neither one had their hackles (we learned that's what the hairs on dogs' necks and spines are called) raised and they seemed to really enjoy themselves.  It was pretty much love at first sight for all parties involved so after lots of paperwork and a little bit of lecturing on how to integrate the new dog into our house, the four of us packed into my car and made our way home.

Transitioning a new dog into a household is a little nerve-wracking, especially when B has been our sole little princess for a while now.  I tried to listen to all the words of wisdom I've acquired from Cesar Millan over the years. Think: CALM ENERGY!

We've taken all the necessary precautions: separate food bowls and eating spaces, supervised play for the first few days, close observation of any aggressive behavior.  I couldn't have asked for a better circumstance between Luna and B.  The only sad part is that B is the submissive of the two dogs, which I had previously observed from taking her to the Broad Ripple Dog Park.  Luna is top dog: she decides which bed to sleep on; she enters/exits the house first; she herds B where she wants her.  It's just natural for dogs to assume their roles so we can't force nature.

Sisters!

Sleepy after some major playtime!

End of Day 1 (Thanks, D for this lovely picture)  This is seriously where I fell asleep

So, so far, so good.  Luna has only had one accident in the house (Day 1).  She is the biggest cuddler and the sloppiest kisser.  She has even managed to muscle and pout her way into sleeping in our bed (although we might have to nip that in the bud soon because she is a space-hogger).  FYI: 2 humans and 2 dogs in one queen-sized bed is a recipe for disaster and a guaranteed sleepless night.  That being said, I think D and I made the perfect choice.  I look forward to many rewarding and fulfilled years with, both, Little Miss B and Luna Girl!

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT IF YOU ARE THINKING OF GETTING A DOG OR A SECOND DOG, ALWAYS LOOK TO THE SHELTERS FIRST.  THESE DOGS ARE THE PERFECT COMPANIONS TO ANYONE.  PUPPY MILLS ARE THE SOURCE OF SO MANY PET STORES AND BREEDERS.  FYI, INDIANA HAS A SCARY-HIGH AMOUNT OF ILLEGAL, INHUMANE PUPPY  MILLS.  FORGIVE MY SERIOUSNESS BUT THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM THAT CAN BE CONTROLLED AND STOPPED BY PEOPLE DOING THE RIGHT THING.  

One more thing, in the famous last words of Bob Barker:

"DON'T FORGET TO SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR PETS"