...And Charlie Makes Five

Mr S and I love the companionship of our cats Linus and Basil. They were both rescues from animal control and they get along better than we ever could have hoped. As far as kitty life goes, theirs is pretty sweet - the expensive natural food, full reign of the house, a lot of lap time and that sweet kitty condo you see in the picture below, purchased for them right before we bought our own condo. Their life is good.



However, as much was we love our furballs, they don't respond well to walking on a leash. Go figure, right? That kitty stubborness shines right through. So we started thinking about getting a dog. How great would it be to have a dog to take to the park? And play fetch with? And teach to do cool tricks? Or timeline was initially to wait until after the wedding, when things calmed down a bit and we weren't spending a lot of time and money on "wedding stuff."

But with a September wedding, we most certainly wouldn't want to get a dog in the fall, with a harsh Chicago winter right around the corner. Hmm. So that would be, what, spring of 2010 when we could finally adopt?

Be forewarned - looking at dogs online quickly leads to visiting shelters. And once you visit a shelter, you are hooked! You've picked out your dog. Thought of names for him. Imagined him making doggy friends in your neighborhood and curled up at the end of your bed.

We went to the Chicago PAWS shelter on Saturday...just to look. As far as shelters go, this one ranked off the charts. Honestly, it was more like doggy and kitty daycare than rough shelter life. Once we met this tail wagging, face licking beagle/foxhound mix, we knew that the holding off was probably out the window! We went home empty handed, but talked about him nonstop for the rest of the night, and on Sunday morning found ourselves headed back to the shelter to adopt.

Walking out proudly with our new family member Charlie, we were so excited...and so shocked that we actually had a dog! We're excited to add him into the mix of our craziness as we continue to plan the wedding and gear up for a fabulous summer in the city with our new best friend.