Puppy!

So let's start off by letting you know that I am a dog person. I have always loved dogs and I always will. There is nothing like coming home to someone who loves you unconditionally (yes I know I'm married but that love is dependent upon me not doing anything stupid...which is rare j/k). I always knew I wanted to get another dog and I had a pretty good idea of the kind of dog I wanted to get.

When I was 14 I had a dog named Reba. She was a beautiful red/white/tan Border Collie. She was like the rain man of catching things. It didn't matter what you threw she would bring catch it. We were once playing yard golf (a game of golf invented by hoosiers who don't want to go to a real golf course or are at a farm) and it required hitting the ball up a hill past Reba and into a 5 gallon bucket that was about 40 yards away. Little did we know that Reba would soon because a hazard on our uphill par 3. Every time you didn't hit the ball just right she would roll it back down the hill to you. She was a great dog and unfortunately died early due to getting worms that weren't detected in time. She knew exactly what time I got off the bus and would be waiting for me every day. We used to play frisbee together at the park or just hang out and watch a tv on a rainy day. She was the greatest dog I could have asked for. Naturally I decided I would love to have another Border Collie.

One day Lindsay and I were going to one of the many mexican restaurants around our town and I picked up a local classifieds paper at the door. I had arrived before she had and was looking to pass time. Every time I look at the paper I can't help but look at the pets for sale section. I saw that their were Border Collie puppies available for a very very reasonable price. Lindsay finally arrived and I mentioned in passing that it was a really good price, not expecting anything to come of it and not even asking permission to get one. Lindsay said "Why don't we call them." I was very taken back as she had not really been the most supportive of my "I want a puppy movement." She even made the phone call! So the next thing I know we are planning to leave for Bowling Green that Saturday to get a dog! I was so excited! Everything seemed so surreal! Lindsay had really agreed to let me have a puppy! What a great wife! Completely selfless as I know she still isn't the biggest on having a dog due to the additional responsibility and time involved. Despite that she really does love him already and even stays up from 4am on and let's him play. Anyways back to the story.

So we finally get to bowling green and arrive a working ranch! Which I guess it to be expected considering it's a breed of dog that is meant for working. Mick was the last puppy left to pick out and I think he's the one I would have picked anyways (two of his brothers were there but already spoken for). He was unbelievably friendly which made me very happy as Reba tended to be a bit more timid of others and only warmed up to close friends and family. Without hesitation we said we would take him and we filled out the papers. After much debate we went with McGregor (meaning son of shepherd) because his dad was a real sheep herding dog. We liked that we could call him Mick for short and that was that.

So now we have a puppy! Next step is to bring him home! Turns out though Mick is deathly afraid of car rides (although he's doing better now..but that's a story for another time). The poor little guy was shaking and drooling all over. Luckily we brought a blanket for him and held him all the way home but it's a two hour drive! We decided to stop half way because we saw a Petco and realized we would need a few things. The picture at the top is of his first trip inside. He was pretty nervous going in for the first time but curiosity got the best of him. He finally came inside and was very cautious as any dog would be who's just been taken from the only home he's ever known and thrown into the lives of new people and too many new things to comprehend. So he did the only logical thing...he peed everywhere lol. After getting all the shopping done we headed out to finish up our journey home with our new bundle of joy.

We finally got home and let him get acquainted with the house and called it a day. All in all it was an awesome day and I've finally got a puppy again! Now on to training!