Sunday 14 April 2013

A new Buddy

Remember last week when I said that M and I did something that we've been wanting to do for a while, but had been putting off until we had children?

Meet Buddy!

 

Ever since we moved out of our teeny tiny downtown condo into a proper house with a backyard, we've talked about getting a dog.  But in the innocence of our pre-infertility days, we thought it best to wait until after we had kids.  Lots of people kept telling us how their poor dogs got neglected when they had newborns, and we didn't want to do that.  So we waited.

But in my spirit of no longer putting our lives on hold for infertility, after our failed FET we threw our energy into scouring the internet to find ourselves the perfect fur baby.  Our criteria were pretty easy.  We wanted a dog that was a little bit older and not a huge bundle of energy, since we're both gone all day for work.  We also preferred to find a dog from a shelter or rescue, since we didn't really care about having a purebred dog or any specific breed.  After a few false starts, last Sunday we went to his foster home to meet Buddy.  And on Wednesday, we brought him home!

Buddy was originally picked up as a stray in Ohio.  Apparently, lots of beagles end up in shelters there because they're used for the hunting season and then left behind when the hunters go home.  Around July, Buddy found his way into a shelter in Ohio where he was slated to be euthanized.  But the shelter kept putting it off, since Buddy is so gentle and happy they kept thinking he would definitely get adopted.  With no luck by December, they got in touch with their local humane society that has relationships with a number of rescue organizations in Canada.  Buddy made his way up to a foster home in Toronto and that's how he came to us.

We were both initially a little hesitant to adopt a beagle, since they can suffer from separation anxiety when left alone, which leads to barking and howling.  Our house is a semi-detached, so we were worried that any noise would disturb the lovely old gentleman who shares a wall with us.  But his foster mom assured us that he's the quietest beagle she'd ever encountered, and so far noise hasn't been an issue.  He's been quiet during the day and very well-mannered in the house.  We were also a little worried that as a hunting breed, Buddy might look at our cockatiel Leon as lunch instead of a little brother.  Again, we needn't have stressed about it.  While Buddy was initially quite curious, once he sniffed a few times (and Leon made a lunge and hiss to show Buddy who was boss), all has been well.  We really lucked out with this guy, he's so chill and friendly.

It's definitely been a bit of an adjustment for us, getting used to letting him out when he needs to go and walking him regularly.  Also, no more spur-of-the-moment after-work drinks now that we have a doggie to get home to!  While M's family has always had dogs, I've been a bit more of a cat person and enjoyed the fact that they're so low maintenance.  But we can tell already that having Buddy is totally going to be worth the change in routine.  When you call his name he gets so happy, he runs over to you and his tail wags to hard that his entire body moves back and forth.

This pic doesn't do it justice, but you can see his wagging tail is a total blur!

So that's the answer to the big question of what we did last weekend!  We became dog parents.  Sorry to disappoint if anyone thought it was going to be more exciting or x-rated.  You people are filthy.

24 comments:

  1. Oh he's so sweet! Congratulations!

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  2. I used to have a dog named Buddy. Your Buddy is so, so cute. I love that you rescued an older dog. It's so much fun having a dog. Yay. Congrats on the new family member :)

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  3. Aw, he's very cute! I'm glad you decided not to wait any longer to add this guy to your family!

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  4. Awesome! I love that you rescued him and maybe he, in his own way, will rescue you!!!!
    Hang in there.

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  5. Your world is about to be rocked. In an awesome way. I know we are all doing everything we can to have a baby.....but seriously, a pupperoni (yeah, we call our dogs that) is THEE best thing to take our minds off human babies a bit. And I am over the moon that you chose to adopt. How heartbreaking to think of Buddy being euthanized. Sadness. But he's with you now. Instant happiness. Let's go save the rest of his buddies, ok? ;)

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  6. so very happy for you and buddy. enjoy him and i think this was a great way to deal with everything. creating positives is an awesome healing tool. looking forward to more pics and buddy adventures

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  7. Congratulations! I'm so happy that Buddy has joined your home. I just know that he will fill your heart with so much love (sounds like he may already have!) :)

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  8. I have 2 beagles! I love,love,love them. Best part of our lives, we bypass the separation anxiety because they have each other but on my long days at work we still take them to day care. They love it and it burns of excess energy. Buddy is so cute, enjoy being a beagle mom.

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  9. Yay! He will light up your life. Fill your heart with so much joy you'll be amazed and drive you insane on somedays. I love my puppy (4years old) she is the best. Enjoy him. He's handsome!!!

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  10. Hi Buddy!! Such a great choice for a pet :)

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  11. Ahhh...Buddy is so cute. Congrats!

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  12. Oh he is so precious. I know exactly what you mean about the "whole body tail wag." And good for you adopting a dog from a shelter. With so many dogs who need homes, I can't understand why anyone goes to a pet store anymore.

    Enjoy him! Dogs are amazing at giving you all the love and kisses you need right when you need it most. They can sense sadness and anxiety. They should be a requirement for any couple going through infertility treatments.

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  13. Congrats on your new family member! My dogs are seriously my saviors. I don't know how I'd cope without them-- their tail wags, their excitement when I get home from work (or from a two minute walk to the mailbox), their funny personalities, and taking them for long walks in the woods to escape reality. They can make me smile even on the worst days. And what a lucky dog to have found such great owners!

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  14. Oh my god...how adorable is he? You must want to hug him constantly! Congratulations!!!!!

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  15. OH MY GOD HE IS SO CUTE!!!! Oh, I am just dying over here, I want to cuddle him so hard... I've seen videos posted by Beagle Rescue organizations that just make me cry and want to adopt a million of them (they're often used in medical testing, and never leave their cages... so so sad). You guys will be great parents to Buddy, and I'm so happy for you. Keep posting more photos of him, too -- that face is just so nommable!

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  16. Ohh, how exciting!!! What an adorable addition to your family! Congratulations!!!

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  17. What a cutie!! And how wonderful that he's adopted, Congratulations!

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  18. Buddy is so adorable!! Congratulations on your new family member!

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  19. Congrats on the new addition to your family! Buddy is super cute!

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  20. Oh he's so stinkin cute! Good for you. Fur babies can bring so much comfort during infertility. So excited for this new member of your family.

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