It's those eyes

Ok, we have a newsflash for y'all. We have a dog. Actually a puppy.

A BIG puppy.

Her name is Belle.

Someone on our neighborhood Yahoo group was giving her away for "free" after their son brought him home without checking with his parents (who already have a dog). She's supposedly nine weeks old and is pretty much crate trained and housebroken. The headline of "free Basset" caught B's eye and when she looked at the pictures, that was all it took.

So after three days of new dog ownership, we're all learning about authority, mercy, patience, and unconditional love. We had an old, grumpy basset years ago that liked to play mind games with us (hunger strikes, biting B, etc). We eventually brought him back and he lived his remaining year or two with a single guy, and was grumpy 'til the day he died. We've been burned by canine ownership before.

But so far Belle has been a very sweet, quiet, and quick-learning addition to our family. She seems to be a mix of basset and some breed with brindle (maybe she's a pitbull (= ). She definitely has some hound in her 'cause she sniffs and tracks almost constantly on her walks. Mistletoe, our indoor cat, is still very fearful of her and is temporarily eating upstairs. But Belle and Mocha, our outdoor cat, are slowly coming to an understanding of each other.

Of course H and C are thrilled. They've been asking for a dog for years. And I KNOW it's not free. The receipt for the crate, food, toys, leash, collar etc. etc. etc. show that. And her first doctor visit is on the 29th (yay).

But we're still happy to have her as our newest addition and for the lessons that she, and we, are learning. Enjoy the pics.