The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. Helen Keller
This weekend was pretty great. We have been shopping for a new puppy for awhile. We've talked about it as a family. We've talked names and we've talked breeds. Jenna and I were finally set on either a Brittany or an Aussie. Looking for local breeders we found a good Brittany breeder not too far away, Valley M Gundogs. I contacted the owner and got a good feel about him and his pups. At this time he had a litter just born so it would be awhile before they were ready.
We really wanted it to be a surprise for the kids at Christmas but the breeder sent us a picture at 4 weeks old that melted our hearts. To sum up an epic negotiation, we went to visit last week, just Jenna and I. He had two from the litter left to choose from and we fell in love with both.
We took pictures while we were there and that night we played a game with the kids looking at pictures of dogs on the internet. "Do you like this one or this one?" We snuck in the a picture of the two puppies and they both chose the same one.
So Saturday afternoon, the kids were told we were going spelunking at at private cave south of Fayetteville. We drove up to Valley M and told them they needed something extra for this adventure.
Obviously they were crazy beside themselves. It's funny how the name came to be. We have talked for a long time about a dog and we've had the conversations with them. We were all agreed we like the names Rex, Ollie, and Duke. Jenna wasn't crazy about Ollie but she liked Oliver with Ollie as a nickname. So Rex, Oliver, and Duke were all on the table without any real resolution. Then BAM, it's time to get a puppy and the only word that comes out of their mouths was Oliver. Go figure.
So we drive up to the house and this follows.
How timid they were in the beginning was pretty comical but they warmed up quick. The ride home was crazy. He was everywhere but there was no way he wasn't going to be in the back seat with them. Finally Jenna had to get back there to bring some calm to the madness.
We took him to PetSmart and lavished him with everything a puppy could need or want. Noah read to us that night from his new Brittany book. It was a pretty awesome day.
Oliver settled in easy. He has zero fear of his crate and mastered the doggy door on his second day. I've been nominated as full time night watchman but that's okay because Jenna wakes up an hour before me so she has to deal with hyper-Ollie :)
The kids? Well the kids are in love. We all are.
