Baxter the 1st

If you saw our video from Christmas morning, you may be wondering where we got a magic dog that can change color from white to tan.  I can assure you that there is no such thing.

I have been saying since I can remember that I would NEVER get a dog!!!  I am not an animal person and I just couldn't imagine dealing with the smells and the poop and the feeding and the licking etc. etc. etc.

A few months ago while I was being nagged and begged about this issue for the umpteenth time, James informed me that we would, in fact, get a dog and that it was only a matter of timing.  I thought that was a pretty bold thing for him to say but he later explained, "I loved my dogs growing up and I don't want your bad experiences with animals to rob our children of the joy of having a dog."  I let that one sink in.  There are plenty of good "dog loving" people out there.  Until now I have always had a kind of "us and them" attitude about "those kinds of people."  (I am married to one)  After chewing on this for a few months I was really considering it.  What?!  I was considering this madness!!  Obviously the perfect timing would be Christmas morning.  Santa Clause could deliver the surprise much better than I.

I began looking into it but I noticed that a funny thing began to happen.  The more I talked about getting a dog, the less James talked about it!  I let it be and he dropped it entirely!  I thought I had gotten off scott free!  So, I put the whole idea out of my mind.  As Christmas was approaching I was busy trying to decide what else Santa could possibly give my children that would be equally as exciting.  All was well until the day before Christmas eve.  That's when it happened.  James saw the cutest puppies in the parking lot at Walmart and the whole thing came back and slapped me right in the face!  Bam!  I went to see them and was almost convinced to put one under our tree myself.  However, my better judgment kicked in and I remembered that while I was "looking into" this whole business I had decided on a breed.  It had to be small and hypoallergenic and non - shedding and of course cute.  That left me with one choice.  A Maltipoo!  The dog would have to be inside because I didn't want it to stink.  If I had a dog it would have to be cute and clean.  So, we put in a last minute request to Santa Clause to please find us a Maltipoo puppy and quick!!

Of course Santa was able to deliver and did not disappoint.  There were shrieks and shrills and the excitement was palpable.  We spent the weekend LOVING (and fighting over) this little Baxter.  Weighing in at a whopping 1 lb he was pretty fragile.  Santa was only able to find us one puppy so late in the game.  The vet later informed us that he was very underdeveloped and most likely the runt.  Our family of four energetic children was probably going to be a bit much for this little guy.  After lots of tears, a very sad day at the vet and a near death experience (poor little guy got hypoglycemia) we had to say goodbye to Baxter the 1st.    He went to live with a nice man, who happened to be a breeder, that  Santa had made arrangements with to take care of Baxter and nurse him back to health. (Away from well meaning children who might traumatize the poor baby). 

About a week later Santa found us a new puppy that was a lot healthier (and cuter) and was ready to join our little family.  We are sooooooo happy about the way that this all worked out.  It just goes to show you that sometimes blessings come in disguise.  We LOVE our new puppy Jeffrey Winston Baxter the 2nd!  Better known as Bax!

Here are some pictures of Baxter the 1st . . .

Baxter the 2nd!  We tried to come up with a different name for him but after almost an entire week, and a lot of input from the family we came up with Jeffrey Winston Baxter the 2nd  - Baxter or Bax!  He is also a maltipoo puppy.