Monday, January 05, 2009

Whew. What a month. It started with seven days off school due to snow during which were unable to leave the house for 6 days. We celebrated Madison's birthday on the 12th with a houseful of preteen girls, and then the real 2-week Christmas break started. We said a teary goodbye to Grandma (who moved away from Oregon after 50 years), went to a few parties, received one of my sisters home from Italy and another from Germany. We had a great Christmas day with just our little family, and then ended the season with Tyler's 12th birthday and fireworks on New Years.



The holiday decorations are put away, kids have returned to school, and I'm back to work in the morning. No more staying up late and sleeping til 10, but the house will stay clean for a few hours longer without little people leaving trails all day. I can't wait to resume my three-day-a-week midday nap schedule. The only disappointment of the whole season is that my camera has kicked the can. No pictures of any of the birthdays or other events, and it really kills me. It was just a simple inexpensive point-and-shoot, but regardless my love of photography is fairly recent and I didn't realize how much I'd miss it.



The newest biggest event is still to come. 75% of you will think we are crazy and many of you may avoid coming back to my house ever again, but despite those odds we are getting a new dog.

No biggie, right? What if I tell you her name is Mercy Me and she is one year old and still growing?

Oh, and that she is a 115+ lb Mastiff. She will be as big as my husband and around 200 lbs when she is full grown.



Our puppy search has been going on for several months because I have been holding out for just the right dog. When I heard about Mercy I had to go see her that night. I have always wanted a really big dog, and obviously she meets that criteria.



All the details about her add up to a really great pet- drymouth (no drooling), shorter hair, amazingly calm for such a big creature, great hips, eyes and elbows (concerns for a dog this large). As is typical for Mastiffs, she'll intimidate the heck out of strangers and mailmen with her deep bark and 6'2" standing height, but is actually very gentle and only corners in threatening people rather than biting.





Her current "parents" are a lineman and a special needs mom, just like Chris and I. She has been around small kids since she as a new pup, and has a special connection with her current family's special needs child. I'm sure an animal this size will be able to endure Jacob's brand of attention. I have done a lot of research on the breed, and was surprised to learn about their calm nature, gentleness, and loyalty.



My personal goal, besides having her love me the most, is to get her to pull me up the hill after we take walks together. We live at the top of a hill that I haven't even attempted to walk yet but with Mercy on a leash I should be able to conquer it. A pet her size needs to get out and exercise a few times a day and you could say I'm counting on her to be my personal workout motivation and trainer.


Friday evening we go pick her up, and its all the kids can do to not jump out of their skin with excitement. I'm enjoying the last few days of living in a relatively pet hair free home. That is definitely going to change.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

sounds like a great addition to the family. And I'm so sorry your camera died.

Heidi said...

How incredible! I'm so jealous. I've heard wonderful things about those dogs. Congrats to you and your family. :)

btaytay385 said...

You are crazy! But I have secretly always wanted a Mastiff as well. I'll have to come see the new pup next time we are around.

The Mathews Family said...

It sounds like you guys are the perfect family for that "little dog"! Holy Cow! Nate's little sister next door has a Bull Mastiff puppy and he is HUGE! He's about a year old, too... and still growing! But I'll have to agree with you... he's the sweetest most mellow dog I've ever met. Can't wait to see pictures of him.
-Jessica

Anonymous said...

Reading this made me dream last night about a huge mastiff puppy name Daisy who kept jumping up and licking my face! And it was so dang fun! I can't wait to meet your new family member. I've always wanted a huge dog too.