Snoring...

Right now, Hudson is in the crook of my arm and cuddled in my lap sleeping and SNORING loudly...just like a bulldog should.

Hudson has been an angel! Sure, he has his moments. I often wonder why he's trying to chew on the wall or the sidewalk - or as Chris saw, the lamp post - and I get frustrated telling him to stop chewing the same thing.

Everything else? Perfect! He eats his food, I take him out, he goes right away. He loves to play - he practically already fetches his ball. Today he practiced sitting and really loved his liver treats! I'm so impressed with how much he takes everything in stride. We've had to take him out and about a lot, and he just goes with the flow.

Yesterday, I had to go to the in-laws to dry my laundry because our dryer isn't heating up. I put his crate in the garage (they weren't home, so I didn't want to bring him inside without them knowing) and we played in their big yard. He really loved the grass! He loves to roll in it and lay in it. He even got himself to sleep in his crate while Ben and I chatted inside.

I have to admit, I felt a little like a soccer mom. I had to load up the laundry, the crate, my purse, my laptop (I thought I might need entertainment in case Hudson slept the whole time), then toys for Hudson, his leash, some wipes in case he got messy -- it was a little much.

Finally, today we got to do some chilling out. I got to straighten up a little and make some real food. I even got a chance to take some pictures of Hudson with my camera. I have to make good use of my buy 25 get 25 free offer from Walgreens. I'll need plenty of pics for my scrapbook!!!

I'll end with a picture of Hudson in the grass yesterday.

Day 2

Boy, we had a busy day today!! Hudson has been such a perfect angel, as we've done more in the past two days since bringing him home than I ever thought we'd do.

Our morning started...well, it depends how you look at it. We had a really big time awake between 3 and 4, but we got up officially when Chris got home around 7. I was making breakfast, and Hudson was excited to get around the house. He still hasn't ventured the whole way through yet. That's probably a good thing.

After breakfast, we all went to sleep. I got up after 11 and Hudson was still sleeping (beyond 3 hours! I don't know how he held his little bladder so long!). He got up shortly after and we went out.

My mom came by around lunchtime, bearing lunch for Chris and I and toys for Hudson. He really liked them! Especially the "tire" with rope knots on each side. He chewed on it for a looooonng time, just what his puppy teeth needed!

At two, we headed out, taking Hudson with us. We had a few errands to run, and we thought it would be best if we didn't leave him at home. We went to the local market in Thomasville, where Hudson and I walked all around until he got much too toasty. We then hopped in the car and cranked up the AC. He sat calmly in my lap until he cooled down and Chris returned with a bottle of water. We found out that he can, in fact, drink from a water bottle. He really liked the cool water.

When we left, we made a stop at Petco to get a color that fit a little better. It's leather. YAY! We got all kinds of attention from employees and customers alike.

After that, we went to Chris's grandparents' house to show him off. His Grandma loved him. Pap was shocked at how little energy a puppy could have. (He was pretty pooped after all the activity.)

When we finally got home, he didn't eat much, but he had some food and went back for another nap (despite a lot of sleep in the car). Some more friends stopped in and they tired him out.

He's sleeping right now in his crate.

PHEW! What a day. I'm beat. I can't imagine how much little Hudson's brain had to process. He's done such a good job. He's going potty outside almost flawlessly. Most of his accidents are because we don't react enough. It's another train the human situation - just like Cesar Milan would say. Don't worry, everyone in the house will get the hang of it soon!

Well, I'm off to straighten up before Hudson wakes up to have another fun time before my bedtime. It approaches quickly!

More to come!

Welcome Home, Hudson!

As I secretly hoped, our puppies arrived early, so we got to bring home our little boy today!

Announcing....HUDSON!!!

He is a whopping 10 pounds, has some gorgeous markings, as you can see, and has been absolutely an angel!

We got him home around 5 this evening. He ate some food, drank some water, went potty outside, played, went in his crate for a nap...repeat! Haha! He also had a bath (he wasn't such a fan, actually) for the first time today, so he's a clean puppy!

He only had one accident in the house so far, and really it could have been avoided if I'd trusted my gut. He ran around, sniffing the ground, and had left his crate while taking a nap. But, we cleaned it up quickly and everything was fine. He went potty outside shortly after. Perfect!!

We're so happy to have Hudson home with us! Wish us luck on our first night!!!

Enjoy some more pics...

My favorite number!

It's my favorite number of days until we bring Puppy home. 3!

In fact, today Puppy is 8 weeks old!!!

We're ready - the crate is up, the leash is standing by, we have plenty of meaty treats, and I have all kinds of blankets that I've been sitting with! I'm ready to bring him in and get him adjusted to his new home.

You know, I'm really tired of these boring posts with no good stories to tell! I think the next one will have to be after he's with us!

Stay tuned....

Pupperations...and less than 1 week to go!

I've been waiting to use that lame word since I started this blog. Pupperations. LOL! Ok...

So, technically less than 1 week to go as at this time next week, we will be home or almost home with our puppy. I can't wait!

Yesterday, I went to two pet stores and bought up a ton of stuff! I got food, liver treats, toys, nail clippers, and a grooming glove. I also got some basics at Target - baby wipes, q-tips, and cotton pads for wrinkle cleaning! I just can't wait!!!

Baby? Puppy?

Before I say anything else, I must make it official that we are now waiting one additional day for our pup to come home. BUT, the good part is, we have an actual official date and time for homecoming, versus before when it was "probably some time on Saturday or maybe Sunday." Now: Sunday. 11 AM. YES!!!

Anyway...

When I was younger, I was notorious for mixing up "baby" and "puppy" when I was first starting to talk. I called my baby doll a puppy and stuffed puppies babies. We have it well-documented on video, "arguments" between myself and my mom - "baby" "puppy" "baby" "puppy." To this day, my mom and I aren't sure if I was being silly or if I was confused.

May as well be that I'm confused to this day! Chris and I aren't planning on children, so our puppy will be my "baby." Trust me, I hope not to be one of those people who act like their dog is a human child. (Especially because I wouldn't put a baby in a crate for 3 hours.) But this will be a pup that gets plenty of love and attention.

I also was thinking how interesting it is that the majority of reputable websites, books, ect. will encourage you strongly to avoid exposing your new puppy to too many new people at once, so that it won't be overwhelemed. It makes sense. Why do we do this to babies? Seriously! Go into a newborn's parents room at the hospital and just try to make it through the crowd of people! The baby is held by everyone in the world and sees every face Mom and Dad have ever known. Isn't interesting we don't express this new puppy advice to new parents? I guess because it isn't appropriate to tell new grandparents to give their kids space.

Needless to say, we're eager to show off our new family member too, but we'll be taking that advice as best as we can manage. I already have a line up of people that want in on meeting our little guy.

This upcoming weekend will be a huge one of preparations. We're trying to get everything packed up and away, especially my wonderful husband's collection of scale-model cars. You know what everything looks like to me right now? Chew toys in the making. We need to get some real ones! It's all coming soon!!!!

What's in a name?

I think the biggest question since we put our deposit down on our pup is "What will you name him?"

That's a loaded question in our house.

First of all, I am a name person. What I mean is that, I love names, I use names all the time, I like to know names, ect. My husband, on the other hand, doesn't remember people's names very well, but he thinks they're important. He doesn't think anyone/anything should be named until you meet the person, animal, what have you.

Thus, we are not naming the puppy until we meet him (when we pick him up), and it's driving me nuts! Yet, at the same time, he has a valid point. And he came up with Murphy's name, and it was soooo approriate, so I'm going to trust him. The great thing about my husband is that he usual is right, so I get to defer to him.

Regardless of my great respect for Chris's idea of waiting to name, here are the names I'm loving since we've been waiting: Max and Tucker. There have been a few others, but these have been my favorites.

Only 12 days til we get to pick one!

About Murphy

I typically tell people that we're first time dog owners. It's moooostly true. Neither of us have ever owned or raised a dog...except for Murphy.

Murphy was an Olde English Bulldog. (A cross of a traditional English Bulldog and an American Bulldog or Bull Mastiff) When I first saw him at a pet store, I fell deeply in love with him. He was adorable. As soon as we made eye contact, I wanted him to come home with me. At the time, we weren't permitted to have a dog at our apartment upstairs. I didn't really care, though. I wanted to have him home with me immediately.

I tried to pull some strings, but couldn't get an official ok. The original plan was to keep the puppy under wraps til he was the permitted 6 months old, then move downstairs where we could have a puppy.

There was a lot of back and forth...should we, shouldn't we...I finally said, yes, let's do it.

Chris brought Murphy home at 3:00 PM on Friday after he slept in late to prepare for his overnight shift. I worked both my jobs - til 6, then til 930, came home, and officially took over puppy duty. There was only a minute or two that we overlapped. I was overwhelmed and felt like everyone was watching us break the rules. (I'm sure no one noticed or cared.) It was the worst time for a puppy - only a night of preparation.

The best decision we could come up with was to take Murphy back to the pet shop to give him another chance to find a great family, one that was more ready to take care of him.

It was difficult, but we still imagine the Murphster playing in a big yard and having fun. He taught us a lot, and helped us to remember what we need to do when we get our upcoming puppy. We're much more ready - time off, schedule, time to plan and shop for supplies.

Still, I'll never forget Murphy and all he taught me in the 18 hours we owned him. Here's hoping you're out having fun!!

Getting Started

Where to start?

The purpose of this blog is to document my (and my husband's) experiences with our very first English Bulldog Puppy. Mainly, I want to document all the excitement of this most anticipated event! We have wanted a bully for about three years, maybe more, but life has just gotten in the way. Finally, we've committed. Puppy comes home Saturday, August 28th.

I plan to document every moment of our puppy's life and all the anticipation of then next 2 weeks as we count down and prepare for our new family member.

Enjoy!