Sophie....Our First Day

There were several dogs, but Shelby wanted to know if we could walk Sophie.

Shelby was funny, negotiating with the Rescue Shelter.  He wanted to know if "we can keep the sweater".  We convinced him to relinquish the sweater to other dogs they rescue that need it, promising he can pick out a new sweater for Sophie.  LOL...I have to admit, I was proud!  We we were talking adoption and Shelby brought it up, the man said, "I'm sure we can work something out."  LOL...and that, my friends, is where I come in.  He is a SPITTING IMAGE of his father.  Then, he opens his mouth..... hehehehe

 Her first bath.  The pet store gave us a free bath for adoption purchase.  Sophie was a bit skiddish, but Stacy worked his magic and she was putty in his hands.

 And then she was home.  Shelby was the cutest, trying to make her comfy.

 Yeah...what do you want me to do with this?

Poor baby was zomped!!!!  But precious as she put her paw over her nose to sleep.  There was a serious smell...I was willing to blame the boys in my house, if ya know what I mean, till she passed gas out loud and then I couldn't help but declare, "Sophie!!!!"

 TV

 Such a sweet girl......

Shelby truly does adore her.   It already brings me to tears to watch them interact.  From the moment he saw her they had an amazing chemistry.

 Awww....guess who else she won over.  Not hard, girlfriend, as he's a really big sucker!  :-)

 Storytime.....Shelby was so excited to have Sophie as his partner in crime.

 She loves the ear...

 The happiest kid ever!!!!!!  He was sooooo excited for "his" dog to sleep with him.

 Introducing her to the "other" dogs in his life.  The kind she can't chew.

Night night Sweet Girl....you guys sleep tight.  Your new job is to protect my baby.  He's the one that chose you.

This whole transition has been harder than I could imagine.  Everything makes me cry.  It's ridiculous!!!!  But, I know Sophie is here for Shelby and she's a tremendous gift, so I will love her, gas and all, LOL, and we'll all keep moving forward. :-)

Introducing....Sophie Jones!

Introducing our newest family member...Sophie!

Last Sunday we went to lunch, and there was as animal adoption area set up outside our restaurant.  Shelby started asking when he could get his own dog.  I realized how unfair it was to him that I was still in mourning over the loss of our precious Abby.  So, we all started looking on the internet and talking about what kind of dog we wanted.  Our only criteria were: no purebred...a rescue dog (just like Abby) that needed a good home and a medium to large dog that we could trust to protect Shelby.  So, his love for chihuahuas was out.  Online we looked at pics and quickly found Shelby gravitating to German Shepherd breeds.

Today we set out, have discussions with Shelby not to settle for any dog, and only to take on one he would truly love for a long time.  We went to the Animal Shelter in Dublin and looked at several dogs, but none that grabbed him.  He even asked, "Can we leave?" while covering his ears from the barking. Then, we went to the SPCA.  There was a German Shepherd mix we wanted to look at, but they said she gnaws on your arm when excited....no gonna work with a 6 yrs old and his friends coming around. Stacy and I fell in love with Rudy, a 1 1/2 yrs old St. Bernard/Lab mix.  Soooo sweet.  But, Shelby said he wanted a really little dog that would get bigger.  He wanted a little bitty puppy......until he met Sophie.

After a few more stops and striking out, Shelby saw her.  I thought he'd like the white dog with black spots, but he said, "I like her!"  She was bigger and he even said later how he had commented he wanted a little dog, but guess not because he saw Sophie.  Watching the chemistry between them was so cute.  When I asked him what he liked about her, he said, "Her fur is so soft and her face is cute to me."  He then said, "Yup.  I love her.  That's my dog."  And that was it.  Our new addition to the family.

So far she's still a bit timid.  She's very doscile and sweet. They said she gets along well with other dogs, kids and cats.  I can see why.  She's so easy going.  She's about a year old, so Shelby decided today, January 26th will be her 1 yr birthday.

I'll admit, I cried the whole way home.  I wasn't even sure why.  I like Sophie too!!!!  But bringing another dog to Abby's home was very difficult.  My heart is so heavy, but I know Sophie's the one.  And Tesa texted that "Abby approves.  Who do you think helped Shelby pick out the right dog."  I loved it!

So, welcome Sophie!  You found a family that will love and adore you for as long as you live, sweet girl!!!!!