And puppy makes...six!

What a day! After careful consideration and much debate, my husband and I decided to go back to the animal shelter with one goal- to find the right fit for our family. We knew that there were three options: 1) We would get the brown fox-looking male that we were originally attracted to and that was on hold for us 2) We would find a different litter-mate or another dog altogether or 3) We would go home empty handed. Drum role please............

We went with the brown puppy that I had originally saw and liked, despite my initial hesitation. Now, for the record, my hesitation was not in that pup, per say, it was my own personal reluctance to have another male replace my Boxer, Hutch. I just was not sure that I felt ready, even though it has been seven months. I have come to terms with the fact that I will always miss him, no matter how many months or years go by. He was my first puppy; I hand picked him from a breeder, trained him, loved him and did everything I could with him. Inevitably, though, there was just no other option- he had become too much of a danger to strangers, especially men, and we just could not take that risk. I know that sometimes you cannot control certain situations and this was certainly one of those times, but I still had this deep sense of failure along with a heavy heart.

I know that with my female Boxer's personality, there should be no problem with Roxy getting along with Maximus ( the new puppy's name), but just to be sure, I took her into the shelter and had them do a sort of sniff and greet session. It went quite smoothly with Roxy's little nub of a tail going faster than I had ever seen it go; a sure sign that it was going to work out well.

The two have been together all day, playing, talking to each other and exploring their new lives together. I think that in a few months, Maximus will easily be able to take Roxy in a friendly wrestling match, judging by the size of his massive paws, but for now, he is a little timid and small. I think that it was a great day for everyone in our family and hopefully, with the harmonious balance in check again, we can begin the healing process with Hutch and move on. But for now, I have two tired children, an exhausted puppy and a curious boxer.