So it’s happened… there’s a new addition to my family. Just this past Thursday, it grew by four feet… er, paws? Yep, another puppy has been added to the family… bringing that up to 3 dogs! Make sure to check out more adorable photos at the bottom!
Finding the Pup
My fiancé works in grading and has been working a job in Jefferson County. On Wednesday, he texted me to tell me he found a puppy on his job site. He could hear the little guy yelping and whining, and was finally able to see him… and toss him a little food. On Thursday, he went to work prepared– with dog food!
The intention was to rescue the pup, and then get him into a local rescue to find his fur-ever family. But, many local rescues (along with our local animal shelters) are at capacity. Well, my fiancé successfully got the little guy on Thursday and brought him home. Well, what do you think happened?
As soon as I laid eyes on the little guy, I loved him. He was scared to death of humans. But, as soon as my two dogs came out to meet him… that tail went to wagging and he was trying to lick their faces. Now, they aren’t too sure about him… but we’re working on that!
Cleaning Him Up
The poor pup was dirty and had quite a few ticks on him. So first things first, I put him in the bathtub and gave him two rounds of washing. Then we checked him all over and removed any ticks. Once we had him dried off, we placed him in the crate, and without closing the door, he just curled up in there. And that’s where he slept.
Friday morning, we took the dogs for a walk like we do every day. So my fiancé was able to create a makeshift leash and I used an old collar. We brought him along, but he was totally unsure of the leash, so I carried him! He’s quite the little chunk when you have to hold him that long!
Friday as a whole was a crazy day with work and Border Bash, but I managed to run home and check on everyone. Thankfully, he hadn’t pottied in the crate. We went outside, the pups did their business and we were good to go. Friday night, it was “officially” decided we would keep him (although I think we both knew it Thursday night)!
But, if we’re keeping him… he has to have a name!
New Addition to the Family
We tossed a few names around, trying to come up with the perfect one. It can be hard until you really see their personality. My fiance suggested Jack, as in Jack Daniels– because he’s black with some white on him like the JD’s bottles. A few other names came up, but we hadn’t quite decided. When we helped another friend with name suggestions years ago, we based it on Country artists’ names. Her dog wound up with the name Brooks. So I brought this idea up– since my fiance and I really like older Country music.
I suggested Cash, like Johnny Cash, who was “The Man in Black.” Then I mentioned Waylon, as in Waylon Jennings. And that’s when it stuck. His name should be Waylon! And that’s what we settled on. And after using it all weekend, I think he’s catching on!
The Weekend
Saturday we spent the whole day at home. We took a lot of trips outside. I picked him up to snuggle for a bit while watching the Georgia game. And slowly he started warming up some. He didn’t stay curled up in his crate. He ventured out slowly… and eventually was laying in the living room floor, where he tried to gnaw the carpet– which was quickly corrected and he was given a chew toy. Now, both of my dogs are big– so the chew toy is really too big for him, but he doesn’t mind a bit! Even though he can’t be more than 15 pounds at the moment, he tried his best to play with everything my other two did!
How It’s Going
I am surprised at how quickly he’s caught on to things. Although there is a bit of uncertainty once he really warms up and gets comfortable. He hasn’t had an accident in the house or crate yet (knock on wood). But we’ve been vigilant when he’s roaming around the house, and taking him out religiously after meals and water. We assume he’s around 2-3 months old, and a possible lab mix. He’s getting used to the leash, and aside from coming out the front door and up the driveway– once he’s on the road, he walked the whole way this morning, with only a few stops. Since my oldest dog is 12 and has arthritis issues, we don’t walk too far or too fast, so it works pretty well.
He loves to eat… and gobbles his food down. We can only imagine the food insecurity, especially if he’d been in those woods for a while. He’s responding to his name some, and has even given me some puppy kisses with that precious puppy breath! Sleeping in the crate is going okay… he did whine a bit last night, and when our alarm went off this morning– there was NO snoozing! He was awake and ready!
I Wasn’t Ready
Honestly, I wasn’t ready. I kept saying that I didn’t want to stress out my older dog, and then my pit mix can be a bit of a bully and very jealous… Which, she has growled at him constantly since he came around. And she had been eating her food in that crate (we just never took it down once she was old enough to have a little more freedom in the house). So I know it is going to take some getting used to for both of them.
I have to believe this little guy was sent for a reason. We didn’t go out looking for a dog… he came to us. He’s been such a joy to watch– because he’s trying to figure things out, exploring this brand new world, loving the air conditioned house… and trying to “run with the big dogs.” I think he’s learning that he’s in a safe place with people who love him… and feed him on a routine schedule. And I can’t wait to continue loving him and seeing how he grows. Without knowing the breed, I have NO idea how big he’ll be. But it doesn’t matter. As many excuses for why I couldn’t take on a new dog have gone out the window.
Now I will say… it has been SIX YEARS since I’ve had a puppy. Which makes things a little scary for me. What’s funny is… my lab is 12. When he was 6 years old, we got our pit mix. Now 6 more years pass… and now there’s Waylon. I guess it’s a 6 year cycle? If you’re looking for a new addition to your family… Be sure to check out local rescues or your local animal shelter!
Now that I’ve told you about the new addition to the family… you’ve got to see the PICTURES!
