Meet Rex

Not long after we had to put Buddha down, there was talk about getting another dog. I was very reluctant for many reasons. First, Buddha's loss was hard for me. Even though towards the end of his days we weren't the best of pals, he was our first dog from the very first day that Bill and I moved into our apartment together. I think about him and still get choked up (and still teary now as I write about him).

Then there was the fact that having a dog is a big responsibility. We now have two kids and I knew that I was going to be the one to take care of the new dog most of the time - house training, stopping them from chewing on Carter's toys, all in between diaper changes and preschool.

Bill had been in a funk and we thought that getting a dog would be something to help get him out. Not only that, but Logan CONSTANTLY talked about getting a dog. Last week as he sat on the couch watching cartoons, he turned to me and said, "Mom, I really love the dog we don't have yet." Yeah, that was a big motivator.

Bill had been looking through pet ads and animal rescue listings daily. We had talked about it for weeks, maybe even months - about what type of dog, the age of the dog and so forth. One day he came across an ad on Craigslist for some 8 week old Dorgis (Dachshund-Corgi mixes) that a college vet student had as an accident litter from her roommates intact dog. They were cute, they were small and just the kind of dog we were looking for.

We took the boys with us after Bill got home from work to see if they liked them and see how friendly the litter was. Logan fell in love instantly, Carter, not so much. We let Logan pick the one he wanted; a small and precious little girl pup who was sweeter than any dog we've had. He wanted to name her "Rex", as in "T-Rex", even though she was a girl. Sure, whatever.

We brought her home and she took an instant liking to me (probably because I'm a mom and I knew exactly what she needed. It was just that mom instinct). She was a bit clingy and needy, wanting to be held and cuddled, but you couldn't blame her since she was just a baby with a new family on her first day. As the weekend progressed, she was quick to house-train and soon felt right at home. And Carter finally warmed up to her and accepted her as part of the family.

She follows us around the house, cuddles with Bill on the couch at night and runs around with Logan in the back yard, bouncing in the snow like a little bunny. She sleeps on my feet when I work on the laptop and is just way too cute for words. Here, see for yourself...