Nesting.

Our family has been mildly obsessed since the day we got back from Thailand. We'd been putting the dog-thing on hold until after our big adventure. Now, the time is right and we were on the hunt for the right dog.

Joel had seen a dog online at the Penticton SPCA, so Saturday afternoon we took a drive to visit him... he was a big beautiful thing, who really needed a lot of space and yard--something we knew we couldn't give him, great as he was.

And then we saw Ellie.

A cute, black mop of a thing.
Super soft long hair, a suspected schnauzer-poodle-maltese-cockerspanielish little girl, a 5 month old stray found in Kamloops. We spent a lot of time with her, talked a lot about the pros and cons of her vs. another larger dog I'd see on Friday at the Kelowna SPCA... and resigned ourselves to the fact that, while we really love big dogs, we can probably make a small dog happpier, and she's a "big" small dog-- and maybe she'll still grow a bit. If not, we still love her.

We love Ellie.

So, here I sit, researching and trying to figure out all the things I need to get between now and Thursday when we take her home, (she's being spayed on Tuesday), and I need the help of all my dog-lovin' friends.

What do I need?
Who's a good vet?
Who's a good groomer?
Does anyone have a second hand crate to sell or know someone who does?
Who's a good trainer (for me, not the dog :-)
What are the most important things?

PLEASE, OH WISE ONES, ENLIGHTEN ME!

This feels strangely like it did 13 years ago when we were about to bring Adam home.

The kids are beside themselves.
(Joel's happy to have an actual dog to blame.)