Aug 24 2008
Meet our newest family members
Early Saturday morning we all went to PetSmart to get a little frog. The kids in Taylor’s class get to take turns bringing in little, contained pets if they have them and so he wanted to get a snake. Jared has long wanted another snake (he had one before we were married) but I am extremely afraid of snakes and so that is a definite no-go. Instead I said we could get a frog. However, we came home with 2 hermit crabs instead.
Meet Crusty and Hermie (they like to read):
When we got home with them and started to put them in the terrarium we had for a frog, we decided it would be better to get one more suited to their needs. So Jared went to a little pet store in Provo to get one. When he came home he told me that they had adorable Shih Tzus for sale. We have been talking for a while about getting a small dog for Andrew to be able to help take care of it. Dogs are supposed to be awesome therapy for autistic kids. I, however, still have a hole in my heart from losing our dog Molly and have been loath to get another. Jared asked me to just go to the store and meet the puppies. We loaded up the kids and drove to the store. We always go to PetSmart and, although it doesn’t smell exactly pleasant, it is large enough to let air circulate to dissipate some of the smell from the animals. This little mom and pop store was not large and air was not circulating. The kids and I immediately stuck our noses under our shirts and then walked back to where the dogs are kept. As we approached the dogs, this tiny little ball of fur came to the front of the pen and stuck his paws up on the glass in greeting. Our hearts all melted. There were some other cute dogs but just as when we saw Molly and knew she was meant for our family, we knew this dog was ours. He is a 9 week old Shih Tzu male. He looks like a non-evil Gremlin and even though our kids have no idea what a Gremlin is, most of them agreed to the name Gizmo (except for Andrew who wanted the name Banana Ice and Olivia who wanted Elmo). But majority rules, so Gizmo it is.
He is, luckily, very good with the kids and very social and playful. He isn’t housebroken so Jared has some work ahead of him. Jared set his alarm every few hours last night to take the dog out. Kind of funny after all these years of me being up every two hours to feed a baby.
Gizmo was not happy last night when we turned off the lights and left him in the mudroom when we went up to bed. Guess he loves us already! The kids certainly love him and have been overly excited the past 2 days in trying to get his attention and affection.
Aww…Roxy has a new little cousin! Cute!
My kids are desperate for a dog and my husband is absolutely on their side. But I am very concerned about the messes, the smells, and the general yucky-ness of living with animals. I’m the stick-in-the-mud mom who refuses to let her family have pets because “They’re dirty.” So, from one clean-freak to another, how do you make this work???
That was always my big objection, too. So to make it work for me, his stuff (food, bed, etc.) is confined to the mudroom and I just keep some odor absorbers in there. Luckily, so far he doesn’t stink! I bathed him right away and told Jared he will be the most bathed dog in the world. After he goes outside he can’t come back in until he has been thoroughly cleaned up with doggy wipes (just like my kids can’t come in from playing until they have been wiped with baby wipes). And he has to be brushed and then sprayed with doggy freshener a couple of times a day to stay smelling, well, not like a dog! He’s too small to get up on the furniture, thank goodness. I get so skeeved out when I walk in a house and it smells like a pet so that is something I will never allow to happen! And I will never be able to have a dog sleep on our beds. Not going to happen. I can’t deal with hair all over either so we made sure to get a breed that doesn’t shed. My philosophy is if I can “train and contain” the overall messiness and stinkiness of kids, I can do it with a dog. I just apply the same basic rules to the dog: food stays in the designated area, there are off-limits areas, daily baths, frequent “wipes baths”, no toys laying around, etc., and then I explained to the kids that they have to help Gizmo learn and follow the rules. It’s a great way for them to learn responsibility. You can totally make it work, Autumn!
Adrienne,
(I just realized I have been spelling your name wrong - sorry!) Your site is incredible. I don’t know how you do it all! Six kids, immaculate home (ok just stood at the front door) an incredible site, and time to read? I am in awe! Some days I can’t seem to handle two kids and a hubby! I guess it’s all about priorities, and I still have yet to put all of mine in place! I too have to confess to a Michael Jackson obsession - and used to dance to the music videos while growing up - and still do with Nathan on occasion. He loved the Darth Vader video - also a Star Wars fan, and after watching it a few times proceeded to navigate through YouTube and watched a few other related videos. (I don’t know what I was thinking teaching him this.)
Ok, I mean it this time, let’s keep in touch - my school email isn’t too reliable - mostly because I rarely check it. OH, and did you say in your profile that you work at the Library? You are incredible!