Finally!!!  This is Bodhi. He's a Belgian Malinois though the nickname maligator is seriously appropriate. I'd forgotten how sharp puppy teeth are.  Of course, with the Dobie girls I seldom felt their teeth...  I think someone used the term "land shark" when speaking of a Malinois, and that fits too. :-)

Some other things I'd forgotten about puppies are...
...accidents happen no  matter how vigilant you are. Just clean up and try to do better.
...they are either off or on. There is no in between...full speed or totally off.
...they have the attention span of a gnat. A goldfish has a longer attention span.

I did remember the...
 ...middle-of-the-night potty trip. Only had to go out once...he slept about 5 1/2 hours before needing out. Nice.
...puppy breath.  It's a dog person thing.  If you don't understand, that's okay.
...puppy kisses.  Again, another dog person thing. 

I'd been warned about the high-energy of a Malinois, but still had no real clue.  I'd been warned about the teeth of a Malinois, but again, had no clue. It's no wonder so many of these awesome dogs end up in shelters when purchased by people who need a couch potato dog.

Sonnet and Mocha weren't thrilled about the new family member. The cats even less thrilled. One, I've barely seen, one glares at him from a distance, and Watson, while he's the most accepting, he still growls occasionally.  Last night, he got about a foot from Bodhi and hissed then growled. Bodhi growled back.  It was so cute.

Anyway...he's sleeping now. So I'm going to try to accomplish something. I have an x-pen set up by my desk so he can have some freedom while being safe from trouble. He's not a fan of confinement. :-)  And, I found perfect use for old chair cushion...puppy bed! 

Are you are dog our cat person?

I'm not a big astrology person. I don't believe the placement of the stars at a certain time determine our future...or anything else for that matter. But I like how the Chinese have named the years. Just for your info...I'm a Leo but if I were Chinese, I'd be an Ox. 

However, 2018 is the Year of the Dog. I find it interesting since for me, 2018 is going to be devoted to dog stuff.  I'm getting a puppy in several months that I'm so excited about.  More details and puppy pictures will come when I have them but I can tell you, he will be a Belgian Malinois from a top breeder in Florida. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.

So, in honor of 2018 and the Year of the Dog, I give you a reprint from another blog of mine. Some may have already seen it...sorry...but it still holds true.

​I thought about this the other morning as I lay in the fetal position at the edge of the bed, one foot half off, the other being used as a pillow for a 95 pound Doberman. And as I lay there thinking about how close I was to falling off the bed, I realized I didn’t want to disturb the dog.

Now, I’m not one who thinks of my dog as a furry child. She has a dog’s name, not a people name. I don’t dress her up, except for that one time. After having her spayed, she was cold so I put a long sleeve, thermal shirt on her. Which she loved and wore for about a week.

That said, she is spoiled. She sleeps on the bed with us. I let her on the couch, and she gets fed people food, probably more often than she should. She gets a high quality, raw diet, has a better health-care plan than I, and doesn’t really have to work for a living.  In fact, one of her favorite sports is couch napping.

They say letting your dog sleep with you is a good thing. That you sleep better for it. Sometimes I’m not so sure. Especially those nights when she is chasing the cats in her sleep. Funny thing is, when I’m away from home and have the bed to myself, I miss her.

Roger Caras said, “Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole.” And this is so true. Dogs give us unconditional love and teach us the meaning of loyalty. Our lives are made better for having a dog in it.

​Yes, she takes up a lot of the bed and sometimes hogs the covers, but she can use my foot for a pillow anytime she wants.