The story of Milly

I still can't believe we have a dog at our house! We have talked about eventually getting a dog on and off for years now but obviously that became reality. All Nate has ever wanted since we've been married is a dog and I had made a promise that as soon as we got a house for a dog we could get one. 3 and 1/2 years later of being moved in, it was about time his wishes came true.

It all started with not knowing what we should get Andersen for his birthday. I went to Target one night trying to find gifts for his birthday but nothing was found. Andersen was always asking for a puppy so we figured rather than waste the money on random toys that we don't need we would do a family present. That same night I went shopping at Target, I came home and looked on KSL.com to search for dogs that were for sale. Mine and Nate's conversations about dogs have always come to an end because we would always disagree on what kind of dog we would get. Nate didn't want a small lap dog, and I really didn't want a big dog or a dog that sheds. With our differences it narrowed out a bunch of options and put us in the category of a medium sized dog. If you have ever googled medium sized dogs you will find there aren't very many cute dogs, hence the 3 1/2 year search for a dog. That night I was on KSL, the ad for pocket beagles was one of the top ads. Nate had a beagle growing up, but I don't like the size of them, but having it be a pocket beagle it was an instant match to what we wanted. We immediately agreed to get more details, and after a late email, a few phone calls and a bunch of emails of pictures of the liter, we had picked out the one we wanted. The liter had 2 boys and 2 girls and by the time we were serious in making a decision one of the girls had been sold so it made our decision a little easier. Nate made the final decision to get the 2nd girl puppy and less than 24 hours we were putting a deposit on her. We put the deposit on her Tuesday and the breeders arranged for her to be driven from Wyoming to Salt Lake where Nate met them for the special delivery on the Friday night before Andersen's birthday. With us still having 4 days until Andersen's birthday party, my friend Cami was nice enough and so willing to puppy sit her until the big surprise. I think that was the longest 4 nights for Nate, but finally in was time for the party. Cami and Ty dropped her off at the neighbors and then if you read Andersen's birthday post, the neighbors kept the puppy until we did presents and Nate brought her in to surprise the kids. 

We spent the next few days calling her "Puppy" until we could agree on a name that fit her. Thanks to our neighbor, Bill, we eventually named her "Milly" after trying to decide between that or "Pepper". The name Pepper definitely fit her personality and her cute little black flecks on her nose, but Jackson insisted that we call her Milly. If Andersen had his way, her name would still be Puppy like he has called her since day one. Maybe one day he'll get it right, but until then we don't mind because it is so cute and Milly doesn't know any different. 

It has almost been 3 weeks since Milly has become apart of our family and it has almost been 3 weeks of regretting this purchase. Nate would definitely disagree with me, but I constantly want to put her back on KSL.com to sell her because I get so frustrated with her. Whoever said puppies are like newborns, obviously haven't had newborns because newborns are WAY easier than puppies. The potty training and constant trips outside for her to go to the bathroom only to have her come back inside to relieve herself has put me over the edge because of my desire for a clean house. Nate keeps reassuring me it will get better with time, so I hope I can gain some patience to keep her around to see that day because all of my boys love her so much! Nate is so good at taking care of her, and making sure she is taken care of any time he is home and Jackson is so soft to her and has such a sensitive side for his new puppy. Andersen on the other hand is constantly irritating her and thinks its a toy to pick up whenever he wants and then drop her whenever she nibbles at him.
 Lets just hope this "puppy stage" comes and goes really quickly so I can stop watching her like a hawk and we don't have to spend so much time outside in this freezing weather doing potty breaks every 30 minutes.