Our growing family

After doing some internet research, we have figured out a few things about our Jack. He is definitely some sort of terrier, and most likely a Rat Terrier mixed with something else. His characteristics match those of a Rattie, except for his legs. The other types of breeds he might have in him are probably dachshund or maybe corgi. Rat Terrier's have much longer and leaner legs than Jack's. His legs are short and very muscular, like a male dachshund's.

Based on the size and pattern of his teeth, we figure he is almost 3 months old. He has all his deciduous (baby) teeth, and they are well separated in the front, meaning they are making room for the insidious (adult) teeth. He hasn't lost any yet, which usually happens around 3 months old for small dogs. Another hint at his age is that he doesn't look like he is even close to being ready for neutering, which happens around 4 months for small dogs. We want to let him develop naturally, but when he seems to be big enough, he'll be getting fixed.

We went to Petsmart last night to get him a collar, leash, and kennel. The collar and leash are black, which complement his dark eyes and nose very well. He got a lot of attention at the store for being so sweet and happy. He didn't bark at all. He is not very yappy, which is another trait of Rat Terriers. He's only about 5.5 lbs now, and we don't expect him to get much bigger than 15 lbs. When we were deciding on what kind of dog we wanted, the main points were:
-we wanted a boy
-he should not shed, Ryan has allergies
-he should be easy to kennel train
-he should not be too yappy
-he should be fairly cheap to maintain
-he should be small

Jack is all of that and more! He is super smart. He already knows his name, and a few words like Outside, Hungry, Go In, Good Boy, and of course NO! Terriers are able to know as many as 100 words and commands, so we'll be trying to train him soon. I've found a neat website that teaches you how to train and exercise dogs mentally and physically, so we'll probably take a lot of tips from there: http://www.k9station.com/mentalstim.htm

And here are some more pictures!
he likes to lick this corner of the wall, and I don't know why.

this is his ball. we play fetch with it. he likes to run and slide on the floors when he gets his toys.

I couldn't find him one afternoon, then saw him napping in here with my pajamas.

his eyes are so dark. we gave him a fleece blanket to be his bed/toy area in the living room.

he has a little cow lick on his right side. do you see it?



one night, Ryan figured out that Jack mimics us. he'll open his mouth if you do, and wave his paw if you wave your hand at him. he jumps when you jump, too...

...JACK

We've been married for 3 years. We knew it would be several years before we'd have children (if we could help it). Early on, I started replying to the "when" question with the Five Year Plan. Some people scoffed, some thought it was a cute idea, others thought it was brilliant.

I thought it was brilliant until my sister started having babies. I didn't ever really like babies all that much. But now, I love them! And, surprise, I want one to have one, too. But I digress.

The five year plan begins with us successfully growing plants. Within 6 months of marriage, we had a full blown tomato garden with 16 plants, and even a watermelon patch. Grow plants, check.

The second stage would be to maybe get a fish, and keep that alive. Later, we'd get a dog. This would be our first real life to be responsible for. And we could practice team parenting being consistent with discipline. Then, when we're good and ready, a baby.

Around Christmas time, Ryan and I were talking about getting a puppy from the animal shelter. But then the window on my car broke, and we had to spend more than we wanted to for that. So we gave up on the puppy idea easily enough. Then, for some reason, I went through a phase of begging Ryan every day for us to have a baby. He's been so patient with me, and reminds me that we should wait a little longer if we can.

So, to get to the point, we still got a Puppy! I went to a get-together at a friend's house the other night, and saw a little yellow stray puppy that she had taken in. He didn't get along with her dog, and she was hoping to find someone who'd take it off her hands. He was so cute! I said to her that I just might take him home. Ryan and I talked it over for a few days, then made our decision. We brought him home 3 nights ago. He's our new little baby.

There are only 2 or 3 things we know for sure. He is a boy, and he is blond, with a white chest. The rest is speculation, but we think he's part Chihuahua, Fox Terrier, and maybe Jack Russel. He looks about 10 weeks old. His little teeth and little claws are super sharp, but that doesn't keep him from digging in anyways! He is pretty smart, and is even almost house trained. He didn't have a name for a few days, but then we decided on Jack.

The name fits him pretty well. Quick, simple, Jack. I was telling a friend about him yesterday, how he runs everywhere. I don't think I've seen him walk once. He runs to get to his toys, then slides to stop. He runs to get to a place to lay down. He still falls over when he's running, because he's still working on his coordination.

Yeah, we like him. A lot! There's a lot that's already happened in the last few days that I've enjoyed about him. He took a shower with me last night, and that was pretty fun. He is small enough to crawl under and play under the coffee table. He likes to lay on the arm of the couch. He still squeaks and has a baby "ruff!" His tail wags him. He is a pretty neat little guy.

But what I love the most is watching Ryan with him. I like to hear Ryan talk to him in a daddy voice. I like to see them play. I like the way he tells me his ideas on what we need to do to take care of him. I like when he asks me "how's Jack" on the phone, when he's not home. I like seeing Ryan be a daddy.

...Well, he just gave us our first scare. Laying on the arm of the couch became falling off the arm of the couch. So he's limping around now, but he's going to be just fine. He's still trying to run, even with a hurt front leg. I'd like to take some more pictures, but the camera battery is charging right now. Hope you enjoy these for now.