Raider! Power!

Thursday we added another member to the Reed family. Those of you that keep up with us via Facebook know a little about the excitement regarding Raider. We had been talking about getting a dog for months and months. And it never seemed the right time. But more importantly we weren't aware of the right dog. I wanted a bigger dog, with a bigger bark, should someone think they want to come into my house uninvited. At the same time, we didn't particularly want a big dog. We knew we wanted smart. And we have an entire acre of land, so we were open to a dog that needed some space to run. That's what led us to a Border Collie. After that decision was made, we still had to find one. And, as luck would have it, there is a very popular breeder just around the corner from us. (And by just around the corner, I mean about an hour away.) She has one puppy unspoken for and she could come home with us on Thursday. And just so you all know we didn't just jump into it right away. We met with her on Monday before and met the dog and saw her kennels and spent the night thinking and praying about it. And even a while more Tuesday morning before David called the breeder and said we'd take her.


Liam to this point has always told us he doesn't want a dog. We'd look at pictures on the internet and I'd say, "Isn't that puppy cute?" And he'd meh and mention wanting a cat. During Thanksgiving while we were visiting David's mom, there were two little stray puppies that'd been adopted by the neighbors. Well the neighbors had left for the holiday, leaving the puppies behind. So they came to visit with us, since the kids were out and having a wonderful time. Liam really took to these puppies. And David and I talked about perhaps them being the right dogs for our house. And Liam very firmly said we had a dog (Kira, the 10 year old toy poodle), and she was our "number 1 dog". We didn't really have a way to get the puppies home. And we didn't really have any idea about what kind of puppies they might be and how big they'd get. So in the end, it was the best choice to leave them to the neighborhood and hope the neighbors might pick up the slack a little better.

Now, all of that said, Liam took to Raider right away. Although, until we brought her home, he was mostly interested in the four boys the breeder is mother to (ages 12 to 4). He really enjoyed playing with them. But once Raider was home and it was obvious she was supposed to live with us, he has decided he life wouldn't be the same without her. He wants to do everything with her. He always knows where she is. And he makes it a point to make sure she has all her toys available to her at all times.
Grace, on the other hand, has always loved dogs. Big, small, fuzzy or sleek, she doesn't care. She loves them all. Adoption day at Petsmart, she almost tried to climb in a kennel with a pack of little mix breed puppies. David had to hold onto her to keep her from doing it. And she was more than put out at not being able to get in. When we visited the breeder, she let the some of the adult dogs out and they ran like the wind, blowing right by Grace, who giggled madly. She thought it was wonderful and didn't think twice that these dogs that out weigh her by 10 lbs could possibly squash her to pieces as they ran by. She is always trying to play with Raider's toys, and sometimes with Raider.

This picture was the first night. Grace had to sit right next to Raider until we finally put them both to bed. Raider was tuckered out from all the excitement of the new place. And she was ready for a nap. Grace was happy to show her support.