Thursday, July 30, 2009

I Am Citizen Insane

Let me stop here and point out that "I" is not quite correct, it is more "we" or more like this is totally Rob's brainchild, but I am now on board (but "we are citizen insane" is not the name of the Radiohead song so.....)

In a few weeks we will be announcing a new member of the family and I am not talking about Elinor. Rob is getting a puppy. It's not just any puppy either it is a Great Dane. I am announcing right here that we are insane because I know that getting a puppy and a baby within a few weeks of each other makes us totally off our rocker, and that is the feedback that we will most likely be getting from everyone, so it is fitting for you all to know that we know this.

Rob's obsession with getting a dog started 6-8 months ago and he has steadily brought it up more frequently. We have had a no animal policy since we were married and it's been nice. About a year ago Rob started mentioning he liked Weimeriners. So that was his first possibility until he found out they are high energy and need lots of exercise and space. He abandoned that thought, especially in light of our tiny back yard, and moved on to his second love- which are Great Danes. While these dogs are huge, they are also very nicely tempered and enjoy small spaces and relaxation. They have fairly weak hearts and so are limited in energy and actually only have a life expectancy of 7 years. Which is sad to think about, but not sad enough not to get one. I brought up an idea to get Scout a small pet before the baby so when Elinor comes, she might feel special. I was thinking hamster or even maybe a dwarf bunny. Rob started thinking puppies... He has located a litter that was born 3 weeks ago and will be ready to leave mama somewhere around Aug 25th. They are in Santaquin and while I worked a golf tournament, Rob took Scout down to see them (they were almost 2 weeks old at the time). She LOVED the puppies, handled the mama very well, but when daddy came along and wanted to play, Rob said he "scared the pee out of her... literally". The litter consists of 14 puppies! Only 3 are males, we decided before sight (and terror) we wanted a female. They have a puppy blog if you want to check them out (we are second in line for choice and think we are narrowed down to mint green (my favorite), red, and dark pink.) puppies are here. We are holding out our final choice until we can all meet them and see them as active puppies, for we are going to choose the one with the sweetest disposition and the calmest of the three.

We know it's insane, but we are sort of looking forward to the insanity! It's been just us three for so long, we can't wait to open our home up to two little girls and give them lots and lots of love. Rob is designing a table for the living room that will accommodate a tv, computer and a dog crate big enough for a Great Dane (let me tell you, that is a BIG crate) for she will be crate trained (it seems this fits Danes very well, they like the den like atmosphere), she will not be allowed on the furniture, and we have been warned to keep towels by all the doors for slobber. Rob has already looked into obedience classes that I believe we will all be attending (Scout needs to learn a little bit of power over the dog so she has a little respect). As for the puppy time, I am fairly worried about getting through that. I can't forget my brother Dave's Great Dane puppy Sundance that was bigger then Liz at like 3 months old but still an active, crazy puppy. I just don't want any of my kiddies to go splat. But, she (at least her puppy era) will not be allowed upstairs in the bedroom area (we may be putting the baby gate up early), and no furniture, so I expect to keep them safe.

AND which ever puppy we decide on, she already has the perfect name.....Lola.

8 comments:

Pops said...

Hahahahaha....I just laughed out loud (I do not do LOL) and kept saying to myself "waytogo, waytogo, as I read your blog. Great Dane. Great Big Holy Bip! You have lost your minds and are crazy, but I love it. Scout will be riding doggie back and we will have to find a saddle for parades and stuff. What fun you will have. I like the markings and color of the pups. The owners look to be very careful and organized. If you get one, maybe that will be a lure that will bring Dave up for a visit. Lola is perfect even if the plan is flawed. Oh my, the puppy stage will test you. Kinda like Zions camp. Maybe worse.

Pops said...

Just thinking, that maybe you both (all 3) should watch Turner and Hooch a few times before you lay out the long green for Miss Green Lola. I know Hooch wasn't a Great Dane, but close and he had a drooling problem. And a crate! More like you will need a ship container and a front-end loader to clean it.... hehehehe

Emily said...

Glad you are on board dad. This fall will be an adventure and I fear if we watch Turner and Hooch, Lola will end up with someone else.

Amy said...

Our kids have been wanting a Great Dane for a long time. Can't wait to see her. I'm also a member of the Insanity Club! We got Milo when I was about 3 months pregnant with Kyle! It was August, he was in the garage, pooping A LOT, the heat made it so bad!! I had morning sickness and had to clean up puppy poop. When he got bigger, I remember him knocking me down on the ice while walking him. (I was 7 or 8 months along then). We lived through it! Then, we got Eddy while we had our house on the market. He made such a mess chewing up everything! Anyway, you'll still love it and be glad you have Lola. Love her name! We can't wait to see her. FUN!

Haley said...

YAY!!! That will be so fun! I am so excited for you guys. And the three you have picked out are definitely the cutest! They are adorable, I LOVE that coloring. It will be crazy but it will be a blast!

Emily said...

Ugg Aim, that sounds awful. Heat + poop + morning sickness = no good.
And dad, the word is that they don't poop in their crates since they consider that their living area (unless there is a problem), so I shouldn't have to clean poop out of there (much). And Rob is buying a better vacuum for us.
Glad you guys are excited (we are too!)

Cat said...

I'm so excited! And I was pleased to see that they are all fawn. That's my favorite of the 3 possible coat colors. She will be a great pet for you guys. Total surprise, though! What the bip, Rob? WV: delairea. Delirium mixed with diarhea...awesome.

Neaners said...

Wow a Great Dane! How interesting! I love Lola too. Good luck with that! It will be fun to see her pictures and hear about your many adventures with her!

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