Meet Jack

Meet Jack, the newest member of our family, who is a 16 week old mixed lab, collie and spaniel. He is a lot more lab than anything else, black and white with a hint of chocolate brown.

My oldest son has always wanted a dog, you know the old saying about a boy and his dog. Well, after much pleading, with help from his siblings, we finally gave in. So along came Jack, with all his cute puppiness, and a giant learning curve.

Never having had a dog before, well maybe never having had to train a dog before (Mom always got that job in our house) the first few hours were kind of like when you bring your first newborn baby home from the hospital - NOW WHAT!

I guess in all honesty the 'giant learning curve' applies to all of us in the family, not just Jack. Thank goodness for friends with lots of helpful advice. Actually, everyone from the local merchant where we bought Jack's new collar and leash, to the neighbors and my children's friends all have advice when it comes to cute little puppies. And at this point, when I don't know too much about such things, any advice is welcome.

So far, and it has only been 4 days, things are going relatively smooth. The first night he slept through the night, waking us at 7:30 with a little bark that told us it was time to visit the great out doors. Last night, night #3, he decided he was familiar enough with his new surroundings that he would sneak past his night-time barricade and sleep in the livingroom. Having just checked on him now I find him making himself very comfortable on the sofa. Hmmm, how fast they take over our lives.

I think this story will have lots of chapters, stay tuned.