Our New Dog (and Our Unhappy Cat)

On March 18, 2013, we got our first dog, Disney.  In fact, Disney is the first dog that I've ever had.  Scott and I had talked about how inevitably we'd get a dog someday.  Turns out, someday arrived a little sooner than we had imagined.  We knew we'd want to get a dog at some point since both kids had different levels of fear towards dogs.  While a healthy fear of dogs is preferable to no fear, Elijah was at times nearly paralyzed by his fear. We didn't think that was a good thing in the long run.

Keira and I found Disney at the park.  Every time we go the park, and we see a dog, Keira wants to pet it.  Friday, March 16, was no exception.  But, this time, the dog was very different.  Usually, Keira goes up to pet the dog and the dog almost immediately overwhelms her in its excitement.  This black and white dog, however, was amazing.  She sat patiently and calmly letting Keira pet her over and over again.  I told her owner that her dog was magical.  She said, "Actually she's looking for a home."  Uh oh.  Then, she told me that her name was "Disney."  Double Uh oh.  It was like it was meant to be...  Keira and I didn't take her home that day, but I couldn't get her off my mind for the rest of the weekend.  Finally, on Sunday, after seeing the kids with Uncle Jason and Auntie Andrea's new dog and discussing it, we found her foster mom again at the same park.  She arranged to have Disney dropped off and we've never looked back since.  All spring and summer long I kept saying that I was surprised that I'd never had a dog before.  I love to walk and run and it's amazing to have a family member to accompany me, and not to mention a motivation to get outside in the first place.  She's been a perfect addition to our family, too.  I love watching the kids play with her, pet her, talk to her and bond with her.  It's a delight and the paralyzing fear of dogs vanished immediately.  We are so lucky to have her in our family.  :)

Here she is posing on her new dog bed from Dendi.

Unfortunately the family's adoration of Disney is not unanimous.  In the beginning, Kodi couldn't have been any less excited.  In the pictures that follow she is demonstrating that she would prefer to be safely up on the counter next to the super loud food processor rather than anywhere near that smelly dog.  Fortunately, they have since figured it out.  In the beginning, Kodi got a few good swats that landed squarely on Disney's nose and now Disney gives her a wide berth and even whimpers when she gets too close.