Ruff-Ruff

(Re)Introducing:

Lucy Belle!

Origin of name:

She-She wanted our dog to have a princess name and was pretty set on Cinderella. But we stepped in and the compromise came to Lucy Belle. Belle being from Beauty and the Beast. Not a movie She-She knows very well, but still knows the princess.

Breed:Labrador Retriever

Color: Chocolate

Age: 11 weeks

Favorite Hobbies:

Running with tongue out and ears flapping

Chewing on kids toys

Wrestling stuffed animals

Nipping ankes, hands, and pants legs

Other Talents:

Obeying the "sit" command

Bringing the ball back if you throw it

The Story:

Sean owned a dog similar to Lassie when he was a kid. They were best pals. Sean would fall in a well and then Grady would run home and bark and Sean's parents would say, "Grady, did Sean fall in the well again?" There are many tender and amazing stories told about old Grady.

So Sean wanted our kids to have a dog

I on the other hand, did not want to pick up dog poo, smell dog poo, and step in dog poo. I did not want to be tied down if we wanted to leave town. I did not want to train a dog.

Then one Saturday I was feeling depressed and bored. I started looking at puppies online. They were so cute. I told Sean we should get one and he jumped on it before I could back out. So we did it.

Then things got a little crazy:

Stage 1- Lucy cries all night, poops and pees on the floor and can't be outside because we don't have a fence

Stage 2- We panic at our rash decision

Stage 3- She-She confines herself to the couch because Lucy tends to get hyper and nips and jumps.

Stage 3- We build a fence. Lucy learns to go potty outside (most of the time). She sleeps through the night

Stage 4- We remember how cute Lucy is. She-She gets more comfortable with Lucy. Lucy stays outside much of the day, also saving our floors from accidents.

Now things feel more normal. My biggest problem is that Lucy likes to nip to get attention and it drives us all crazy. Hopefully this is a puppy thing and she will grow out of it. But she is so cute and VERY smart. We love having her around. The good news is that she is adjusting to being an outdoor dog and that makes things a lot easier.

Kids' reactions:

She-She adores our dog. She likes to feed her treats and play tug-of-war with her. Although she keeps her distance when Lucy is really hyper for reasons mentioned above.

As you can see from the pictures, Bigdog and Lucy are two of a kind. They both chew on everything in sight, roll on the floor, growl, and romp. Bigdog likes to give Lucy hugs or just maul her. Lucy takes it pretty well and it is so cute to watch.

So thats the story of our dog. We think she is pretty great.

P.S. If anyone has any great dog training tips, let me know.