Love at First Sight

Less than a month ago I posted 

about the jack-rabbit living in our yard and how that would be our only pet until I have both boys potty trained. Little did I know I would be eating those words less than two weeks later.

When my family from Kentucky was visiting here recently we went to the mall to see the movie, "UP", and while there we stopped in the pet store. As we were looking at the puppies Vince noticed an Italian Greyhound and his exact words were, "I'm in love." About a minute later he said, "Her name should be Sophie."

I have never seen Vince react to anything in such a way, which actually made me consider taking her home. We held her quickly, asked a few questions, and left the store before we made an impulsive decision.

As soon as we got home we did loads of research on the breed of dog and the pet store.  

I do realize that buying from a pet store and not a breeder is highly looked down upon. However, we learned she came from a state-regulated breeder in Missouri and not a puppy mill. We even were given all of the the UABR (United All Breed Registration) numbers going back to her great-grandparents.

As far as the breed goes, we found out that Italian Greyhounds make wonderful family pets, are great with other animals, love plenty of affection, and do not shed much. Best of all, she'll only get to 10 pounds once she's full grown. This is a great compromise for Vince and I because he likes large "manly" dogs and I like lap dogs. Well, Italian Greyhounds are lap dogs that are still "manly".

We took this decision very seriously and prayed about it for almost a week. We also visited her 3 times. The first time that we took her into a room to play with her we sat down on the ground and she walked over to me and plopped right down onto my lap. I think she knew I was the one who needed convincing!

The night before my 3rd visit with her I had a dream that right before the boys and I went to see her a mom with 3 boys came in and asked to hold her.  It was one of the boys' birthday and he picked Sophie as his present. We were devastated to watch the dog we loved being purchased by another family.

The next day when I took the boys in to see her a mom and two boys came in and they seemed interested in her too. While Grafton, Deklan, and I were playing with her in a room the two boys were watching us through the window and I heard the mom asking questions about her and then she was looking in a dog book. When we left the store Grafton said to me, "Mom we don't like those other dogs in there, we only like Sophie."

This was the event that finally led us to our decision. I was so concerned my dream would come true that I texted Vince and said, "I want the dog, go buy her today!" We weren't ready for her yet because we had not purchased any doggy items. As a result, Vince put down a deposit so that they would hold her for up to two weeks.

The next evening when we went to pick her up I told the sales lady I was worried that the mom with the two boys was going to buy her and that finally made my decision. She told me they hadn't been back, but just that morning a couple had come in who had been looking for an Italian Greyhound. They were very disappointed she was sold because Sophie was the first Italian Greyhound that has been in the store since they opened almost two years ago.

Sophie has been home with us for one week now and we are so thankful she is part of our family. I really believe this was meant to be.

She's extremely cuddly, great with the boys, and a true companion. Right now the difficult part is house-breaking her. Once that part's over, I don't think we'll have anything to complain about.

I'm glad that our boys have a great dog to grow up with. I can't wait for all of the memories we'll make with her!