Henry

Today was a momentous day in the history of the Barnum household, one that requires a little bit of back story to be fully appreciated.  I have never considered myself a pet type of person.  We had cats, dogs, cows, chickens, sheep, horses, and birds growing up and I never really felt any sort of real attachment to any of them.  None of them were actually "mine" in the sense that I had sole responsibility for them or even that I wanted them in the first place.  I'm just not an animal lover.  I don't hate animals.  I just never liked being licked by them or the smell of them or the idea of having one in my house.  I prefer to enjoy animals from a distance.

So when I married someone who is very very very allergic to all types of animals, I thought I was pretty much off the hook.  I'd dodged the bullet!  I'd won the lottery!  When my kids would someday ask for a puppy or a kitten I could put on my empathetic face and say, "I'm so sorry sweetie, but we can't have any pets because Daddy is allergic."  Little did I know......it wouldn't just be the kids begging for a pet, but my husband too.  
It was only a year or so after we were married when Nate started talking dogs.  He likes dogs and apparently has always wanted to have one.  When I bring up his allergies, my supposed golden ticket out of pet ownership, he simply says he'll have an outside dog and that will solve the problem.  Well, like a good little wife, I totally resist and we manage to put off the discussion for a while.  

Fast forward to about 5 years into our marriage.  Jonah is 3, Lilly is just a baby, and Nate tells me he's bought two beagles that were posted in online classifieds from someone in Kanosh and do I want to go with him to pick them up?  WHAT?!!!  I was not a fan, but the beagles came home anyway.  We had them for less than a year.  They were always digging under fences and getting out of the yard.  Nate was hardly ever home because of work and school and I was still very much anti-pets and didn't have the time or resources to take them on walks every day.  I would have had to wrangle the two dogs and manage the double stroller and that just was not something I wanted to attempt.  So we found the beagles a new home and the dog talk quieted for a while. 

Then, in the last year or so, it slowly starts to sneak back into conversations.  I catch Nate checking all of the dog adoption listings and classifieds and researching different breeds.  Every time he brings it up, I reiterate my position, "I do not want a dog.  Period.  End of story."  Then, a few months I go I finally faced the facts.  Getting a dog was inevitable.  It was going to happen and if I didn't do something soon, we would have a repeat of the beagle story with some bull mastiff coming home from work with Nate one day and me having absolutely no say in the matter.  So I started to do some research on different breeds so we could find one that would be a good fit for our family, and since I knew that I would be the one taking care of the majority of the dog care responsibilities, one that would be a good fit for me. 

The rest is history, as they say.  This morning we picked up the newest member of our family.   He is a 3 month old miniature schnauzer.  Nate gave me the honor of choosing his name.  So, meet Henry.

Henry a little timid and very mellow for a puppy.  We've had him for about 5 hours now and I have yet to hear him bark at all.  He likes to follow the kids around the house and is exploring his new surroundings. 
We're working on house training and crate training and all that good stuff, so if any of you more experienced dog owners have tips or suggestions, feel free to pass on your wisdom.  This is an entirely new adventure for all of us!