A lot has been going on around the “White house” (teehee – that was one of the most fun perks of the name change!), between my sister undergoing brain surgery last week (and is doing SO well!!!), we’ve also been training and taking care of the newest member of our little family! Everyone, meet Henry! I’ve wanted a puppy for a long, long, long, long time. It’s even in the “about me” section on my website (which, thanks for the reminder, that needs to be updated!) Lets just say that I can be pretty spontaneous. When I “KNOW” in my heart, soul, and gut that something is right – then it’s typically a done deal. My husband on the other hand (the engineer, “thinker”) likes to ponder and weigh out ALL options – usually coming to the “best” conclusion for the present time and moment. So when my little sister called about a puppy a friend of hers was fostering that would be PERFECT for Eric and I, I just had to hear more. After hearing lots about him and seeing his sweet face through iphone images, I just HAD to meet him. I told Eric “just one night to see if he’s a good fit, ok???” That one night turned into many nights and we are officially obsessed with our puppy. Yes, I’ve become “one of THOSE people” – who’s iphone is filled with videos and pictures of their dog and who’s Instagram updates typically involve his sweet face. I just can’t help it! We don’t know much about his background – he was pulled from a kill shelter by a local organization called Dog Days of Charlotte. We’ve been working with the Charlotte SPCA on his official adoption and neutering! We know he is around 6 months, and seems to be a Shepard-Hound mix. Some people automatically say Shepard upon first meeting him, and others right away say he is a hound. We recently took him for a long hike (for Eric’s birthday!) and everyone would stop, gasp at his cuteness, and pet him. Almost everyone comments “how CUTE is HE? Puppy with a BIG head and small body!” When you see pictures of him, most comment that he’s going to be a huge dog – I think this is based on the size of his head (or angle of pics?) He’s actually a little bigger than a beagle and doesn’t have huge paws. We recently had to take him to an emergency vet (he got into dog food at his Aunt Larissa’s house…. chowed down on almost 4 pounds of food while we were at the hospital last week – ohhhhh puppy “adventures”), and the vet thought he wasn’t going to grow much more. I always pictured myself with a fluffy puff-ball that sat in my lap all day, but over the past few weeks I’ve realized he’s perfect for us. It’s great that we were able to take him on a 7 mile long hike/picnic but he’s still small enough to cuddle! He’s not “fluffy”, but his hair is super soft (his ears feel like silk!) And it’s great having such a smart dog! He learned sit and lay down within two days and was completely house broken in less than a week. Being a rescue, we didn’t know what to expect personality wise, But he’s SUCH a lovey curious puppy! He’s not afraid of anyone, but he’s afraid of new objects and new surroundings. I think when most pet owners adopt puppies when they are super little, the puppy adapts to their surrounding as they grow. I realized that Henry has already had A LOT happen to him in the past few months of his life (moving around a lot too), so it makes sense that he is a bit reluctant to new surroundings. Oh and why the name Henry? It was the name the shelter had picked and I think it suits his personality perfectly. He is kind of an old man in a puppy body (how gentle/sweet he is), and it fits him well. To be honest it was kind of nice to not have to wrack my brains and scour the internet and puppy books (do they make those?) to find the perfect name for our new (semi-spontaneous) addition!
Now if your thinking, “he looks kinda sad” in some of the pictures below, it’s because he is NOT a fan of my camera yet. You can see him hiding against Eric’s feet trying to stay away from the “big ol scary clicking thing” … He’ll get used to it eventually – already starting to with how much its been around him! I also included some iphone pics!
Six Fun Henry Facts:
1. When he runs, he gallops – in a cat sort of way
2. His favorite toy is his squeaky “pig” ….(which he has demolished)
3. He loves to snuggle and LICK (such a lovey!!)
4. He LOVES other dogs. He basically acts like a big goof when he sees another dog from a distance away. He’ll do flips, jump around, and act like he won the lottery
5. When he shakes – his ears flop against his head and it makes the most adorable sound
6. He has ONE clear toe nail on each paw, the rest are black!
This was his first time in front of the “big camera” .. he was pretty unsure of it (aww)
Catherine Marciniak - He is such a cutie !!!!