Puppy Mama

Baxter is his name and he is a brindle-colored German Shepherd mix pup. And he's smart and very well behaved, for the most part. On August 16th, quite unexpectedly, I became his mama, after he wandered onto a friend's property from the Indian Pueblo next door.

So tiny! I couldn't put him down and since my friend already had a dog-filled home, I volunteered to bring him to mine. The vet thought he was 6 to 8 weeks old and we don't know how big he'll get, but he's already tripled in size since he's called mi casa his home.

I didn't want a dog - and certainly not a puppy! They're far too much work. Baxter doesn't care. He has claimed me as his mama. So far, I have failed in crate training. Have tried to make his kennel cozy but he just pulls his toys and my smelly old T-shirt out and onto the rug. He chewed up his new collar and squirms out of his harness. Thankful I live in the country with a huge back yard, and that we can go for walks without using a leash.

I don't want to raise an aggressive dog. I don't want a dog that barks a lot. Have been watching Dog Whisperer videos on YouTube and a friend has loaned me a book on puppy training. Cats are so much easier, and frankly I don't think I have the right personality to be a dog owner. I am not authoritative.

But I kinda love him. I'll let you know how things go.