J-Dog in the house!

Jan Turner
Jan Turner - Day 1

This post has been a long time in the making. Well, more like a month in the making. The story goes a little something like this.

Jess and Chase had been wanting a puppy for ages, however we were extremely reluctant due to the fact that we live in an apartment. There are extra fees, the clean up, the 2 flights of steps, the noise, etc. All that adds to to a very problematic situation. Couple that with the fact that our schedules didn’t really give us a lot of time at home and we just were destined to not get a new addition to our family any time soon.

Well, as soon as Jess started back to school it became apparent that the overall mood and stress of our current living arrangements was not conducive to a happy life. So after much deliberation and and a rash decision to “just go SEE the puppies at the pound” we headed to the Atlanta Human Society.

We wandered around a bit, looking at various dogs. Some were terrorizing other dogs, some were shredding paper and tipping over their food bowls, there were the howlers, the barkers, and the ones that just laid there and didn’t move. Puppies of all shapes, sizes, breed, were to be had. We let Chase pick his top 3, a dog named Marsha, another dog who’s name I do not remember and Jan. It was funny cause Marsha and Jan were next to each other and all we kept thinking was the Brady Bunch. We eventually decided on Jan. She wasn’t too crazy, she seemed to just light up when we came near, she had a certain light to her that made Chase happy and brought some warmth to our family.

We started the paperwork process and then Chase got to spin the magical wheel to see how much we would have to pay for her. I reckon they were running some sort of special. We ended up getting here for like $50! That made me happy since she was listed at like $150. So we loaded up our new pup and headed off to the pet store get her all manner of things puppy related.

Once we got home we set everything up, her cage, some bedding, food and water bowls, toys, etc. but all puppy wanted to do was just lay there. I reckon in our minds we had this vision of a new puppy just running and jumping and biting and chewing and all things that you see puppies do. Our puppy seemed down. Well that didn’t last too long. After a few days, Jan was exuding puppy.

Over the next few weeks, Jan’s personality really started to shine. She is still very timid when it comes to going outside. She really doesn’t like cars, but she LOVES people and other dogs. We’ve taught her to sit and fetch. She’s a very smart dog and generally brings happy times to our family. Having a puppy has certainly brought some new challenges to our lives, but it’s also brought a bunch of joy. Our cat Jojo is still on the fence. They don’t HATE each other now, but Jojo isn’t a playful animal like Jan.

One thing we still struggle with is having her cooped up all day while we’re at work. Jess has a killer commute and my hours are never the same from one day to the next. The good news is that in less than a month we will have a huge yard for her to run around in. The Sniper’s have got themselves a new place with a big fenced in back yard. Puppy girl will have an abundance of outdoor freedom. No more will we have to worry about her being in her tiny cage for hours at a time while we’re out rock climbing or running marathons. Gone will be the days when she just spends hours running from one couch to the other under the table into the office to the other couch and then back again. The neighbors won’t be pissed at us when she whines at 4:30 am and wants to go out and/or play.

Jan has been an adjustment, but a welcome one. I love her to death and I know Jess and Chase do as well. Getting her was a hard decision to make, but I’m glad we did. She’ll be a companion for a long time and I’m so happy to have her light and her joy be part of our lives. Stay tuned for more pics and videos of our new addition…and future additions. šŸ˜‰

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