Nesting and Puppy Love

Author: Liz Upton

You know that moment when you know you'll be adding another life to your household?  I have had those moments this week.  NO!  I am NOT talking about a baby, well at least not the human kind.  My husband and I have decided to secretly adopt a puppy!  The secret is from our children.....sooo, hopefully between when this blog is posted and Saturday afternoon ,they won't find out.  (hint, hint)

It all started with our friends and their kiddos getting a puppy last Christmas.  My kids fell in love with their dog instantly.   Then the idea of a puppy became part of the conversation in our home.  Till one day, this past month, our 6 year old son asked my husband if he got money at work.  My husband asked him, "Why are you asking me about money?"  Our son said, "So we can have enough money to get a dog."  You see, when my son started asking my husband about getting a dog, my husband thought he'd dodge that subject by telling him that "dogs cost a lot of money."  (My boy is a brilliant negotiator....it doesn't help that he has big cinnamon colored eyes and cheeks full of freckles.)

I have always wanted an animal at home that we could have fun with and we could cuddle.  (We currently have a Betta fish....no cuddling there!)  So when my husband started talking to me about getting a puppy, I was thrilled!  First we started talking about breeds.  My husband grew up with a cocker spaniel, so that was on his look list.  I love a dog with a beard, so that was on my look list.  We also looked at the breed, Norfolk terrier.  As we were talking about the different breeds, my husband found a price for the Norfolk terrier.....$2,500.00!  YIKES!!!   As the shock wore off, I checked out petfinder.com .  I typed in our zip code and specified that we were looking for a dog, baby sized and clicked search.  WOW!  There are a lot of dogs that need good homes!  We waded through all of the possible puppies on their website.  There are a lot of pit bulls, chihuahuas and larger dogs, until we saw this sweet little face of a dog named Caterpillar.  He is a cross between a basset hound and a retriever.  I'm guessing the mother is the basset hound and this was an accidental litter.  My husband and I fell in love with his sweet face instantly.  I emailed the Helping Hands Rescue and inquired about him.  They told me he was up for adoption THIS Saturday (April 30th)  They sent an application form for adoption attached to their email.  Because I was so excited, I printed and filled it our immediately!  

As the week dragged on, my nesting took hold.  I have found lamp cords that needed pulled off the ground and cinched up.  I've decided to move my garbage can into my pantry, so the feed bowls can be moved to where the garbage can is now.   I ordered a crate and bed and a leash (an Ohio State leash, of course)  What's been cute about it all, is that my husband has started shopping for Caterpillar (new name to come)  too.  He found the feed bowls, floor mat and food storage containers.  We haven't even seen or held him and we are already ga-ga over him!

One of the most fun parts of this has been coming up with names.  My husband and I are coming up with a small list of names that we like and then we will ask our kids to pick from that list.  I can hear you asking, "why not let the kids name the puppy?"  Because I don't want a dog named Sprinkles, that's why.   

Everyday I pull up his photo on my phone and am instantly filled with joy.  I wonder if this is how God feels when he looks at us, his adopted children? When we believe in His Son Jesus Christ as our Savior, we the become adopted into his family.  (Romans 8:15  For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba!  Father!")  If I'm so ga-ga over a puppy, imagine how much more we are loved by Jehovah, the God of the Universe!  (chill bumps)

Well.....we are almost to Saturday!  The Rescue has received my application and has approved us, putting this precious puppy on hold, just for our family.  The kids know nothing!  I .CAN .NOT .WAIT .FOR .SATURDAY!!!

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