Introducing Rey "Paw"patine Tillman

 I can't believe I'm writing this, but we are officially owners of our very own puppy.  The kids have been pressing us for a long time to get a pet (specifically a dog) and we've been pretty firm in saying "no".  Then COVID hit and we found our lives a lot more freed up to possibly deal with a puppy and all the responsibility that comes with that.  I purposely didn't get a dog in March because I was afraid I was jumping on the bandwagon that everyone else did by adopting a pet.  I waited to see if the feeling remained that we should move forward with committing to a pet.

Right after the fourth of July I finally made the decision that we could get a puppy.  We decided on a Goldendoodle because it seemed like a good family dog, could keep up with our family, and it's low to non-shedding!  We were told we could get one right at the beginning of August right after we got back our vacation.  It was a little stressful getting the timing right, but we managed.

Dad and I kept the whole thing a surprise from the kids up until we came home with her.  We even told the kids we were going to a church meeting and left them at home while we went to select our perfect puppy companion.  It was so hard to choose the right pup, but I feel like we picked the right one for our family.  We came home, and the kids' reaction to realizing that we had a dog that was all ours was pretty priceless.

We were surprised at how quickly the kids all decided and agreed on the name of Rey "Paw"patine.  She's such a unique color of abstract patches of brown, gray, black and white.  It's such a rare coloring for a Goldendoodle called "Merle" or "Phantom".  It makes her all the more special!

It's been an interesting few weeks getting acclimated to having a baby around the house again, getting a schedule going, and figuring out how to potty train, crate train, and house train another member of the house.  I feel like we're doing a pretty good job, and we've been pretty united in being responsible and pitching in to make Rey's transition as smooth as possible.