friggin' adorable: Tyson's adoption story

I gave quick mention to needing a dog in my last post. It actually started much earlier.

Last winter, after first having to think about the high school as reality, I really did panic. And I really did tell CD that I needed a dog. Bug and I got quickly into the idea and were looking online at rescues, oohing and aahing over adorable balls of puppy-fluff that we found.  When I asked CD to take the idea seriously, he and Pook showed me some dogs they found attractive. They all looked like wolves. So that took some time to reconcile. 

Bug and I continued to look at websites, and decided that a labradoodle might be the best breed to have for my allergies, the dog's temperament and blending the varying interests of our family.

Suddenly this showed up in May, just as the end of school craziness was beginning:

Before letting Bug get too enthusiastic, I cautiously showed it to CD. He was approving, so I showed the boys and contacted the rescue organization. The photographed dog had a sister at the same shelter, and we leaned toward getting a female. We decided to drive the hour-plus to go meet them both. At this point we all felt a tentative excitement but were afraid to count on it working out.

But we fell in love with Tyson before meeting his more reserved sister. He chose us and licked us his approval. Labradoodle? Probably not, although there are some mixes that look like him, so maybe. Terrier was written on his vaccination paperwork, so we'll assume he's some blend of those breeds. The vet tech who first met him back at home has told us his breed is "friggin' adorable." We can live with that.

Tyson is the perfect first dog for us. He has barked a few times, at chipmunks, but is otherwise quiet. He doesn't jump on people or furniture, and he's old enough to be completely potty trained (about 1 1/2 yrs.) In fact, our only problem is that he gets anxious when we're out, so we're crating him to avoid more of this:
 

 Yes, it was homework. Thirty pages, finally ready to be turned in after weeks of work.

Most of the time he's doing his job and keeping me/us company. Hard to resist this smile!