Best Day of Ellie's Life

Ellie has always had a soft spot for anything cute and cuddly.  She's Rocky's biggest champion and is drawn to animals wherever we go. She animals of all kinds (cats, rabbits, llamas, alpacas, guinea pigs, etc), but her favorite has always been dogs.   When she was young, she was known to stop dog owners in parks to chat them up about their dogs, while she played and loved on their pets while they chatted.  She has "Must love dogs" on her list of required traits for a future spouse and has dreams of owning several someday. 

That's why when my good friend, Natalie, announced on Facebook that her sweet poodle mama had just had puppies, I knew we needed to invite ourselves over for a visit.   Luckily they were born right before Fall Break, which meant that we had plenty of open time  for a visit when they were just 2 days old.  

Mia {the dog mom} had just given birth to 11 goldendoodle puppies and it was seriously such a cool experience to be there and watch her gently caring for her large litter.  

Their eyes weren't open yet and they mostly just squeaked and writhed around looking for milk, but they were adorable and so fun to watch.  Ellie was enamored and very much enjoyed giving those sweet teeny little pups lots of love and snuggles.  Not even a pound each yet, they were so tiny they fit into the palms of our hands. 

Natalie's daughters {and a friend} joined the fun and we were having a certifiable puppy snuggling party!  We enjoyed learning all about the process of responsible puppy breeding and what it takes to properly care for a litter of new puppies.  They literally watch them 24/7 the first couple weeks--taking turns staying up all night with them. They also weigh each one of them a couple times a day to make sure they are all thriving and take time to perform some neurological stimulation exercises with them each day as well.   It really was a highlight of fall break for Ellie! 

I should have known this would happen, but as soon as we left Natalie's house that day, I got a full court press that we needed to adopt one of the new puppies.  And it didn't just come from Ellie.  It also came from Cami and then from Glen as well.  

Eventually I said, "yes." 

Here are a few of the reasons I changed my mind {I'm including this here for some future day when I'm overwhelmed with doggy responsibilities and I question my past sanity}:

1.  Rocky is 13-years-old...and the average age that puggles live to is 10-15, which means our time left with him is likely somewhat short.  He is also deaf and sleeps 20+ hours a day.

2. Ellie really really really loves animals 

3.  Ellie is the lone child left at home

4. We are new to the area {again} and still feeling pretty lonely

5. The puppies were responsibly bred and are being very well-cared for

6. Goldendoodles don't shed and aren't normally as high energy as the breeds of Rocky or Kiwi

7.  I read a study about benefits of pet ownership on people's physical and mental health. 

8.  I think I will enjoy having a dog in the house when the kids are all gone 

Soooooooo....I hope I don't regret it, but here's Denali.....

She's now two weeks old and growing soooo fast.  Denali just opened her eyes this week, which adds some depth to her personality. 

 She's snuggly and calm so far and is supposed to end up about 25 pounds.   We'll get to take her home around Christmastime and in the meantime, Ellie is determined to visit and snuggle her as often as possible.  

So what was the best day of Ellie's life?   

First it was meeting the 2 day old puppies for the first time.  Then it was me eventually saying, "yes," to keeping one.  The next best day will be the day we bring her home!   💓💓💓