As you know, all of my dogs have departed and being dogless didn’t work, so I ordered up a new pup.  And as usual, I decided on something completely unexpected, due to that old no impulse control thing.

I’ve always had smooth dachshunds, and have said I hate, and actually would never own, a long hair.  Guess what?  Luongo’s a long hair.  But it’s good to try new things, so here I am trying a dachshund with a new coat length.  You know how bad my nerves are with major changes.

And then, who knew how bad my nerves would be as the parent of an eight week old pup the size of a pound of butter.  He has to be watched constantly as he gets into mischief every chance he gets.  He also has to be taken outside every couple of hours to learn how to go out there rather than in the house.

However, as none of the dogs has ever really been completely house trained, I’m kind of skeptical that it’ll work with him.  But to date he seems very smart so there’s a always a first time with everything.

I’d bought a little kennel as I idly thought maybe I’d be able to train him to sleep in there.  So on Friday night, which was his first night, I put him into the kennel and put it on the bed beside my pillow so his face was inches from mine.  He hated it, and screamed bloody murder until I let him out.

So I popped him into bed with me, and just like all the other dogs, this seems to be the right place for the puppy.  Because he’s just eight weeks old, he still gets up at 2:00 or 3:00 AM and has to use the newspaper in the room for a bathroom as I refuse to go outside at that hour.

Nicky loves the pup and the feeling appears to be mutual.  I’d gotten Nicky to babysit the pup this morning while I went to the gym and when I got home Nicky was in bed with the puppy under the blanket beside him.

But hopefully puppyhood is going to wind down a bit as I’ve done nothing since I got the pup except take care of his every whim.  I took him out when I planted some tomatoes and flowers but he’s a complete menace as he picks up the little plastic pots and runs off with the plants in them.  So cute!

I wept a bit as I looked at this dear new life form and thought of the three dogs I’d brought home just like this.  I’d watched them grow old, or else get sick, then die, and here I am on the threshold of another dog adventure.

But shortly afterward, the only crying I was doing was from pain over the cut on my lip from the puppy’s razor sharp teeth.  He loves charging and biting as hard as he can, and I, ever the fool, seem to be allowing it.