Our New Baby

We went yesterday morning to pick out Caboose, a fitting name for his position in the family as the "last one". I think we probably over-analyzed this picking-a-puppy thing and we were possibly too prepared for the decision we were about to make. We had a list of tests to perform, characteristics to look for, things to avoid and yet it still took us more than an hour to decide which puppy to make part of our family. By the end, we had narrowed it down to 2 and from there it was really like flipping a coin. We ended up leaving this guy behind which oddly enough is making me more sad now that I've downloaded the pictures from my camera than it did that morning. If only we had the room and the patience for two puppies... we would have surely ended up with him as well.



But, alas, our Caboose is the one with the not-so-perfect markings, the curly hair, and the "gay" tail. All of which make this little puppy less of a Berner according to the breed standards. But, for us, he was a perfect match for a family pet. Here he is on the car ride home, taking very well all the oohing and aahing from the kids in the back seat. They can't get enough of him.



This is one of the first pictures of him at home. He got a little homesick by the time the sun went down last night. We could tell by his occasional whining and his inability to get relaxed. It was as if he was conveying these thoughts: "Ok, this has been fun but can you take me home now?".



However, today... relaxation was not a problem at all. Here he is enjoying the cool tile on the kitchen floor; his favorite spot for an afternoon nap.