Archie

After Butters passed away in May we missed our dog greatly. We missed her on the couch sleeping, under the table sleeping, trying to steal the kids food and trying to trick us into serving her second breakfast. There were some nice things about not having a pet anymore such as going on vacation or going on short weekend trips to Chicago without worry of who would take care of her. The absence of dog hair was a nice feature as well but the kids missed having a pet. I missed having a pet. Evan could have waited another four years (he says) but it was time to add another family member to our group.

And so our search began in early December of finding the right kind of dog to have in our family. We both wanted a dog who did not shed. Evan was insistent on another medium to large dog. We decided on a goldendoodle and the breeder was in El Paso which is a short 25 minute drive from our house. We went out to meet some puppies one Saturday and fell in love with a shy (at first) puppy who we thought would be a great match for us.

6 weeks old

10 weeks old

 He was set to go home a week and a half before Christmas but we thought it would be a great Christmas present for the kids if we surprised them with the dog on Christmas. Especially since we had to travel quite a bit to Canton, Eureka and then back home which with a new puppy would have been highly stressful.

The day after Christmas we had one last present for the kids to open with some dog toys, treats and a collar. The kids were ecstatic when they figured it out and even more so when they found out they were getting the dog that day.

Evan and I had meant to decide on the dogs name prior to the kids opening the present (to reduce fighting) but we couldn't decide between our options so we all piled in the car and told the kids our thoughts. Murphy, Rudolph, Ralphie and Archie were our top 4 names. And while Caroline had a good idea about naming him Max (Grinch's dog) we all ended up deciding that Archie was a wonderful name.

The kids were so excited to meet him and he was very interested in them as well. He wasn't as shy as he was the first time we had met.

It's now been 6 weeks since we brought him home. While he is exhausting, due to his never ending puppy energy and rambunctious, he is also very smart.

It took 2-3 weeks to house train him. He knows sit, shake, stay, drop it and is working on down. He walks well on his leash staying right by our side (mostly) and enjoys running short distances with Evan. I have not signed him up for any obedience training at this time. The kids are so busy and I truly feel that I remember most of what Butters and I learned 10 years ago.

He really loves the kids but his nipping at them is still a work in progress. At 5 months old we think he has now lost all of his baby teeth so the nipping is almost nonexistent.

It will be a long year or so of training him but we think he's going to be an amazing dog and love him so much already.

First road trip to Canton

5 months old-35 lbs