The Lee Family: Our Newest Addition!

We decided to add to our family and think we picked the absolute perfect addition! Buddy, our nearly-2 year old Cockapoo joined us on Friday February 1st and we couldn't be luckier! He's such a great dog and has brought a lot of laughter and smiles to our house since his arrival. I've wanted a dog for years, but it never seemed like a good time, even though CK was totally open to the idea as long as I understood who would be doing the majority of the work (me).

It all started a few weeks before we got Buddy when a friend posted on Facebook that a chocolate lab needed a good home. We visited Rio and he was a great dog, but we quickly decided that the shedding was not something we wanted to deal with, plus, he was a sweet dog but too large (he knocked Olivia over twice just by turning to look at something). Thus, my quest began. Once we met Rio, I got home knowing we needed to add a dog to our lives. However, we'd also decided that a puppy would not work either - all of the girls' toys would be destroyed as well as many other things that would make us crazy. Plus, we agreed that we were done with the middle-of-the-night wake-ups. That left dogs available for adoption and I started searching on the internet. I found myself on Petfinder.com looking for "Cocker Spaniels, Cockapoos, or Labradoodles" and found three dogs that were available - one Cocker Spaniel and two Cockapoos. The Cocker Spaniel was not good with kids and one of the Cockapoos was adopted. So, I contacted "Pawed Squad" in Abilene, TX to ask about "Landon," the available Cockapoo.

After several emails and phone calls, Michelle, the woman who kept Landon in her home suggested that we take Landon home for a weekend to "test him out" before making a decision. She wasn't sure how he would act with young children and didn't want to rush our decision. The girls and I picked Landon up the afternoon on February 1st and by the next afternoon we knew he was ours! He is such an easy, fun, relaxed dog and is great with the girls!

Sofia is very good with him and loves when we all take him for walks in the afternoon. Olivia, on the other hand, tends to grab his hair rather than just pet him. At first he was very unsure of what to do, but now he just endures it and looks at me to save him. I try to be involved with every interaction Olivia has with him to teach her to pet him gently. Also, she likes to hug him, which he really hated before. Now he puts up with it, but I know it's weird feeling for a dog and try to limit the hugs.

We also decided early on that the name "Landon" didn't really fit him and changed his name "officially" to Buddy! Since we've had him he's really come out of his shell and is much more playful than he was the first few weeks. He loves going for walks, is very good on a leash, has been friendly with every dog he's met and doesn't bark much. Oftentimes he doesn't bark when we have company ring the door bell! He loves attention and his favorite thing is to cuddle next to someone on the couch.

He was crate trained when we got him, but since the first night he's slept on a dog bed in our bedroom. After a week or so we also left him out of the crate while we went to lunch and returned to a perfect dog. Since then we haven't put him in the crate and he has been great. He tends to sit on the arm of our couch and look out the windows to 'watch' for our return. Of course, once we return he is SUPER happy to see us! He's a great dog and I sort of feel like I do about Sofia and Olivia - I almost can't remember a time without him! We're so lucky he's in our lives!

Our family picture!