Puppy Parents

I was hoping to fill our home and this space with decor, inspiration, and ideas for our place in the city. We have a combination of hand me down furniture, college furniture, and Ikea items mixed with a few new and forever items. Then our furniture chewing, clothes tearing puppy happened.

We have been looking at Rhodesian Ridgebacks for years. Literally, years. While in Germany, I really stepped up my search. Our hearts were set on a Ridgeback, but I was becoming incredibly frustrated as litters were not available in the Midwest and finding a fair priced, reputable pup was unbelievably difficult. Now don't hate, we did explore shelter options, and look at other breeds. But with the direction our life is heading, we are being extremely particular about the people, pets, and things we bring into our home.

Something magical happened once we were back on Chicago soil. We had been home for maybe two weeks and I came across a litter in Michigan born at the end of January. Fast forward through puppy interviews, puppy choosing, and a very exhausting trip to PetSmart for supplies, and we got our perfect little one at the end of March, when she was two days shy of eight weeks.

Some of our supplies, ready for her arrival

Dahu, at just over eight weeks old

Puppies are hard. I am convinced the reason puppies and babies are so ridiculously cute is to keep us interested in caring for them when they keep you up all night, poop on your floor, and spend their days draining every last ounce of sanity from your being. I can deal with kids, I have been every day for the past three+ years (Europe excluded). Puppies, however, are a whole new level of hard. 

Dahu is now just over ten weeks and has been doing stellar at walks in the neighborhood. She knows to sit for her food, she does not know shredding potty pads and newspapers to bits is not good. We love her to death. She is a cuddler, rare for the breed and we are encouraging it as much as we can. She is very smart (and I'm not saying this just because she's mine!) and this makes me all the more excited for her to be of age to attend puppy training classes. Until then, I will spend my days chasing after this ankle biting, hand nipping, face licking love bug. She takes up every spare second I have, but she's worth it. 

Seriously, that face melts me every time

Full disclosure: ANY and ALL new puppy tips are welcome!