When the puppies were about four weeks old, Noel and I had decided to make another trip out of town, and we asked Cheri if she'd mind if we visited. She didn't, so we dropped in and played with our puppy (and several others) for an hour or two.
When puppies are that small, they sound like little grunting piggies. They had just been moved out to the garage from the house, and they were a bit stressed out from it. They were all kind of shaky and grunty. We handled them a bit, then we got Bessie to come out and play a bit with us. Bessie's a great flopper, loving to lie on her back with all four paws in the air. As a dedicated tummy-rubber, I found this very endearing.
We took a bunch of photos, and Cheri and her husband Kevin were very obliging about the whole thing.
In the weeks after this visit, we got our household together. We bought a crate, some dog toys, bowls, and all kinds of medicines for a doggie first aid kit. Dogs are much more likely than lazy indoor cats to get injured or eat something stupid, so I wanted to be prepared. If you're looking for good pet supplies, I recommend two mail-order places:
Both places offer a good selection and good prices. JB Pet gets a big thumbs up from me for having absolutely terrific customer service. The crate we ordered arrived damaged, and the phone rep jumped through hoops to get us a replacement part. It was really refreshing to experience.
Noel holding two puppies
Noel and me with laps full of puppies
