I'm No Longer The Only Girl In My House! Meet Rosey!!

Well, we finally did it. It’s been three years since we made the promise to Oliver (7), and this weekend, we followed through.

My husband says that a boy must have a dog. I was never sold on that idea, but I was pretty sure that I would be outnumbered in our house, and I was right.

You see, I’m just not a dog person. I love animals, but I prefer to have cats.

Three years ago, Oliver began asking for a dog. I knew that he needed to be old enough to handle some of the responsibilities so we agreed that if he still wanted a dog after he graduated from kindergarten, that we would get him one.

Honestly, I anticipated that he would forget about it. Or change his mind.

He didn’t.

Kindergarten came and went. Oliver’s excitement for a dog grew. Summer came and went. Oliver’s excitement grew. First grade came…and Oliver began to question whether or not we were going to keep our promise.

So, we let our “yes be yes” and we began the process of seriously looking for the right dog for us! Sure enough, after years of praying for just the right dog for our family, countless hours of researching pet care and supplies, and hunting down the best rescue facilities in our area, we brought home our new puppy this weekend!!

And, it’s a GIRL!!! I’m no longer the only female in our house. Phew.

MEET ROSEY!!

 Oliver chose Rosey and named her, himself. He also chose a pink dog tag for her, and a pink leash, since she is a little girl. I wasn’t complaining. Pink at our house! :)

When we went to the rescue shelter, we got a chance to play with several other dogs but Rosey was the very first one we saw and played with there. We left the shelter empty-handed, and then went back a second time later that day to make sure she was the right dog for us and we were the right people for her. Several other people were interested in her too-and she had only arrived at the shelter the day before! When Oliver and I went back the second time, we knew that she would be coming home with us.

Rosey is a black Labrador and she is 8 months old. We hit the jackpot with Rosey because she knows how to sit and stay, go outside for potty breaks, and loves to ride in the car! She also spent her first night in the house with us and never barked or had a potty accident!

It turns out that Rosey wants to sit on the boys laps while driving in the car. We are learning things as we go along! Yikes!! :)

We took her for a long family walk to our local park with my dear soul-sister friend, Joanne who is an expert on dogs and a life-saver in helping us get situated with Rosey. Then, today, we took her to a local dog park to socialize with friends! She did GREAT!

 

These little guys were happy to stand on big rocks at the dog park to observe and stay out of the way!

Auntie Joanne came with us to the dog park too and brought her rescue dog, Sierra.

At this point, we are training her to not jump up on us, go potty in a designated area of the yard, and not to bark on the rare occasion that she does so.

We have a SERIOUS drought in California right now and many families are letting their grass dry since we can't water it well. Rosey doesn't seem to mind our dustbowl at the moment.

Even though I’m not a dog person by nature, I do love Rosey and she is a very good girl. God blessed us with just the right puppy! For me, this is one of those areas where I am trusting and yielding to my husband’s leading about getting a dog as well as going outside of my comfort zone for the sake of my little boys. It’s all about love!

So, I’m taking a big breath heading into this next week with this new addition to our family and I’m counting on you guys to pray for me!

YOUR TURN! Do you have any tips or recommendations for dog training, accessories, must-have items, or other insights about dogs and puppies? Do you have a Lab? We are all ears for whatever you can share with us!!!

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