Adjusting...

Sallie was welcomed into our home on Saturday, September 13th.

She is 100% adorable, and I love her so much. I have never, ever described myself as a dog person--or even a pet person, but Sallie has captured my heart. She is one-year old, and she does the cutest things.

• When she is excited or begging, she stands on her back legs, with her front legs up close to her chest.
• I love her floppy ears that don't flop in the same way.
• I love her cute little face, and sometimes she puts both paws over her snout.
• I love to watch her sleep--sometimes curled into a ball, sometimes all stretched out.
• I love it when she cuddles up next to me on the couch or the bed. Yes, we've even broken down and let her sleep with us.

It's amazing to me how quickly I came to love this little sweetheart.

• I talk to her all the time. (I used to make fun of my dad for doing this.)
• I try to take her for a walk twice a day.
• I hold her.
• I miss her and feel bad when I have to leave her in her crate for a few hours while Jeff and I are at school.
• I worry about her, and get pretty nervous, when she plays with the big dogs. My parents have a Mountain Ker mix and a Black Lab mix. They adopted the lab the same day we got Sallie, so there are some dominance issues, etc.
• I always want to protect her and keep her safe.

All that being said, I'm having some serious difficulties adjusting to life with Sallie.

• We kept her in the crate the first few nights, and I would worry about her when she was whimpering. Now that she sleeps with us, she stretches out and kicks me out of my spot. :-)
• We were told that she was not housebroken, so I feel like I constantly need to keep my eyes on her and know where she is and what she is doing at all times--especially since we are not in our own place, but staying temporarily with my parents. It's exhausting being on high alert all the time.
• She wakes up earlier than I'd like to at times, and I need to feed her and take her out to do her business.
• She yelps and whimpers when she plays with the big dogs, and that makes me nervous that she might be getting hurt or that they won't know when to stop.

Of course, all the loves that she gives me makes up for everything! She is definitely a welcome addition to my life!!