Here She Is

Our little marshmallow has arrived!
All 12 and a half pounds of her.
She came complete with puppy breath
and all that extra energy, skin
and fuzziness that makes puppies so cute!



We brought her home first thing Saturday morning.
She met Killian and had the entire Memorial Day
Weekend to get to know us and her new home.

Each day shes here, she gets more comfortable and I
fall further in love! I hate to admit it, but it took me a
little while to be convinced she was the right puppy for
us. (Which scared me to death because with Killian, I
knew in an instant.) I just didn't feel a connection, but
some transition time has shown me she is a great
addition to the Link family, adding an amazing,
new dynamic.

The first day was interesting -- David, Killian and I
watched her, trying to figure her out. She is certainly
more independent than Killian was -- happy to take
her naps alone on the floor and not afraid to jump off
the couch or even our king size bed! That took Killian
weeks (maybe months) to attempt. She did a little
whimpering the first day, feeling unsure of her
new home. She came to us from a breeder in Utah
where there were a couple litters of pups and quite
a few adult dogs. I think she spent a lot of time
outside with 'her pack'. Our house has been a big
change for her.

Killian's reaction to her the first day was pretty cute.
He didn't know what to do with her! He was really
good, but kept his distance, shadowing her puppy
energy. That night, he slept on our bedroom floor
instead of in his preferred place between us. The
little prince usually gets more room than I do, but
giving it up for a night was a price he was willing
to pay to communicate his dissatisfaction with
this new arrangement!





Sunday was a much better day for all.
The two of them played and napped all day long.
Killian, while still very gentle with her, was no longer
tentative in his approach. They found a few games to
play -- he likes to grab a toy and get her to chase him
for it. They lay on the floor and roll around together
and they play the cutest game of tug with an old sock.
She barked and nipped at him a couple times and he
just gave her a firm but gentle paw to the head. I
think she'll learn a lot from him.

You may have noticed I am referring to the puppy as
her and she. That's because we're not 100% sure of
her name! How terrible is that? We decided on Lily
well before meeting her, but after observing her
personality and calling Killian (Killi) and Lily a few
times, I decided we needed to pick out a new name.
We're pretty sure that new and improved name is
going to be Norah; Although Dora is a close runner
up. The people I've mentioned it to all seem to prefer
Norah but I think I like Dora better for her.
I've been trying them all out. So, she's probably
totally confused.

Following is a peak at our first day around the house
with our new little
girl.