Jumping the Gun

Ok, ok. I admit it. I've already lied and this is my very first blog post! But let me explain. If you read my current "About Me" section, I've already told you that my husband, Nathan, and I live with our two dogs, Gisele and Atlas. Well, it's very true we live with Gisele, a long, white fluffy-haired creature that often roots in the trash can and sleeps on her back. It is not true, however, that we currently live with Atlas. That's because today, or tonight rather, is the eve of the long-awaited pick up of our Great Dane puppy. So yes, I am jumping the gun in saying that we all live happily together in our little cape, but I have great faith that in less than 24 hours that statement will be true.

See? Gisele is spoiled.

Nathan and I have always longed for a Great Dane to add to our family, but with our recent, and AWESOME, wedding, we had neither the time nor the money to add to our canine brood. Alas, since we are wed we have more of both requirements! Actually, in all honesty we decided to purchase Atlas the week of the wedding. We had been leisurely browsing for Danes, if you can even do such a thing, when we stumbled upon a breeder from North Carolina who was expecting a litter a little before the wedding. We casually asked about her expected pups but nothing really came of it. Then, a couple of weeks later a boredom-induced browsing session lead us back to the website. Behold! The puppies had been born! Cuddly Danes, already the size of human newborn, filled our screen with their adorableness. And to add to the lust, one of the puppies was exactly what we wanted. Or rather, what Nathan wanted. He's so picky. One male Dane with a little white mark on his chest (and toes) laid sprawled across the rest of the litter. Nathan and I both thought, "There's no WAY that dog could be still available." Nevertheless, I e-mailed on a whim, and we were both surprised when he was still available... and in our price range. It turns out that the white markings on his chest and toes means that he is not capable of being a show dog since he's not pure black. To be honest, that works for me. Between grading papers, lesson planning, and entertaining Gisele and Nathan, I don't have much time to run circles in a ring and be judged. Plus, his "pet standard" means that he was half the price. Win. Win.

That was back in June. It is now August, and we are more than ready to pick up our baby tomorrow. We have been receiving weekly updates on our little porker in both word and picture form. At last count, he was 14.5 pounds on Monday at seven weeks old. When it's all said and done, Atlas will probably be between 150 - 200 pounds.

A big dog means more to love. I can't wait to start this journey tomorrow.