Scrappy Dog Sunday!

It was one year ago today that we brought home our little bundle of joy. Mark had told me that he didn't want anymore kids-he was finished and then BAM he told me me that we were driving to rural Washington to look at a little man. We grabbed the girls, headed north, went past pasture after pasture of Alpacas(I'm pretty sure after saying 6 times that we should have the Alpaca lifestyle Mark was ready to turn the car around) we arrived at a  farm with tiny little babies running around everywhere.

There he was, running around like a maniac, keeping up with the girls and showing us that toothy grin that he is so famous for. At that very point, he melted our heart. We brought the little guy home and he cried for a little bit in the car but otherwise he was a perfect  angel....until that night. He would never settled down, cried the whole night and eventually Mark had to go downstairs with him and sleep on the couch. All I could think about was did we make a mistake? Are we crazy? We have two Jack Russells and now we have a Miniature Pinscher. The next night was fine and each night after that has gotten better. Of course, he thinks he security and must check out every little sound. If someone sneezes 2 hours away, Pete can hear it.
I'm not gonna say every day has been a walk in the park. We have had to secure the backyard more than ever because he is an escape artist, he's not a fan of little kids and will follow some house guest around barking at them. He has marked his territory in the house a few times and decides at 4am it's time for patrol of the backyard. Every time he does something he knows he shouldn't, he looks up at you with those little eyes, perks the ears up and gives you a toothy little smile as if to say, "I'm just a puppy, mom....I love you, did I mention that? I really do." Then my heart melts and I forget why I was so angry in the first place.

This little black and tan puppy, in a year, has managed to wrap us around his little paw. He brings Mark so much joy and when that little nubbin of a tail starts wiggling, well, it's all over. He loves to chase birds with the girls, steal treats when he gets the opportunity and snag your blankets in the middle of winter, but we love this little man. We can't imagine our life without him. The smile he puts on our faces and the laughs we have with him takes away all the cold feet nights. So, here's to you Pete! You are the sunshine on a rainy day and the rock in my shoe and I love you for that.