Our Newest Family Member

We have a new family member, Alex. My daughter turns 13 next month and when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday she said "Nothing really, just a puppy". For the longest time I avoided getting a puppy because I know they are a lot of work and I just wasn't in a place in my life to add on extra responsibility, but we are in a new season and the new puppy is a refreshing reminder of that.

The story of how we obtained him is an interesting one. We first checked our local shelter. On the day we went in, we saw a cute poodle mix, but he was not available for adoption because he had just been picked up the day before. We went back on his emancipation date, only to find that he wouldn't be emancipated the next day at noon because he had come in during the night.

So we went back once again. By this time the kids were set on getting this dog. I wasn't feeling him though. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was just not right. I filled out the application and was ready to pay for him when one of the workers at the shelter suggested that we play with him a bit longer before we make our final decision. We discussed the process of getting him ready to go one, one of which was having him tested for heartworms. It was then I heard God clearly speaking to me. My prayer was that if he had heartworms, I knew he wasn't the dog for us.

We played with him during the 8 minutes it takes to get his results and sure enough he was positive for heartworms. The kids were devastated. It was a hard choice, but I knew I had to leave him. In my spiritual journey I have learned a very important lesson. It is often hard to follow God, but it's always harder when you don't!

We left and came home and searched the internet and that's where we found Alex. He was only 8 weeks old and the owner was only asking $25 for him. We scheduled a visit and brought him home on Sunday.

We are now in the potty training stages and I am happy to report that he is doing well! Stay tuned for more on our adorable addition.