If you happened to see my Instagram post on Saturday evening, you already know that we added a new member to our family and his name is Gus. He is an absolutely gorgeous German Shorthaired Pointer and there is a good chance that I already love him.
Let me paint you a written picture of how Mr. Gus made his entrance.
I took the girls to a holiday event Saturday afternoon. We were playing in fake snow, sliding down slides in potato sacks, chit-chatting with Santa and sipping hot chocolate. Ross had been at the deer lease doing deer lease things and also scheming a little surprise.
He called us on our way home from the holiday fun. He sounded normal. We talked about the upcoming party we had that evening and a few details of the day. Nothing about our conversation seemed out of the ordinary. We ended our talk with. "Bye, I love you. See you in a bit."
The girls and I walked into the house and my parents, Ross and this strange dog were sitting in the living room. I was like, "Oh, heeeeeeey, who's dog is this?" Ross replied, "Surprise, he's ours."
After that everything for the next 5 minutes is sort of a blur. I do know that I freaked a little lot, said a few words, ones that were abbreviated because my kids were in the room and thought it was a big joke.
Here's the deal. I like animals. I really do. I like to pet them, look at them, hear other people's pet stories and watch them on Animal Planet. I just didn't want one living with me. I can barely keep up with our kids, our lives and hectic schedules. I did not want another responsibility tacked onto everything else that is going on in our lives. Also, after my childhood dog died when I was in college, I swore that I would never have an animal again or become attached to one. It broke my heart when we had to put him down and I never wanted to feel like that again. Animals just don't live that long and it's sad. I know, that's kind of a lame excuse for not wanting a pet, but it's the way I feel.
Anyway, the girls have been begging for a dog for the last year or so. Ross has mentioned that he wanted a bird dog. We have casually spoken about it on and off, but nothing was set in stone that we would add another member to our home....so soon.
After calming down a little bit, realizing that this wasn't a joke, seeing my girls excitement and hearing their squeals, I was coming to terms with our new four legged friend.
Gus was owned by the son of a good friend of ours whose allergies started to get the best of him and could no longer keep a dog. So, Ross decided that he would bring this one-year old pup home to live with us for the next 10+ years. GRRRRREAT! (insert sarcasm)
Actually though, it really is great. Mr. Gus has been in our home for less that 48 hours and we have all fallen in love with this sweet boy. He is house and kennel trained, very mild mannered, amazing with the kids and loves to be loved. To say that the girls are obsessed is an understatement. They have already taken on so much responsibility by helping feed, bathe and picking up after his business in the backyard. I don't think either one of them have stopped smiling.
I am still a little shocked and uneasy about this new venture, but know he is going to be such a huge part of our lives and family. Ross always wanted a son. Now he's got one.
P.S. I will be back to my regular scheduled program tomorrow. I just couldn't resist sharing Gus with you guys!
