Koopa Troopa

When we decided to take the job that brought us to Pueblo, we used the book, Alexander, Who's Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move by Judy Viorst to help the kids cope with the emotions of leaving their beloved home town. In the book, Alexander is consoled for having had to move away from everyone and everything he knows with a new puppy in his new house. We had thought that the time might be right to get a dog soon, but that book really got the wheels turning in our minds. As we pursued the dream of home ownership in Pueblo, in our minds all the time was the idea that if we got a house, we could have a dog, and the felicity of that picture made up a part of the charm of this house.

While we were still tossing the idea around, the kids decided on the name they'd give to a dog if we were to be able to have one. We name pets after villains in our family (the cats are "Grendel" & "Dragon" after all) but everyone knows dogs aren't as villainous as cats. So the dog would have to have the name of a more benign villain.

After weeks of waiting for a home inspection from the Denver-based org we chose, and after the chain of communication finally connected us with a suitable candidate, and after we were finally able to make a trip, as a family, to Denver, we were finally, last weekend, able to bring our puppy home.

He is six months old and his name is Koopa Troopa! Yes, after these:

I wanted a lab, because, though I'm not a dog person across the board, I've always been charmed by the positive energy in a labrador. 

Koopa is a lab mixed with... something short-legged. But his low-key and loving personality made him a match for our family's needs.

Everyone says he looks like a "wiener dog." I think he looks like a lab, but with legs about half the length that they should be!

His foster mom thought probably his father was a basset hound. I prefer this explanation. Jon and I used to dream of adopting a basset hound, so a basset-lab mix would pretty much be a dream combination.

Basically, don't tell me he's a wiener dog. He's a lab mixed with a mystery, as Miles likes to repeat.

All the way home from Denver to Pueblo (about 2 hours' drive), Koopa lay calmly in the back seat and accepted the kids' pets.

It was like some kind of lite version of bringing a new baby home (though MUCH, much easier and less emotionally intense) to show him around those first few days.

Isn't he handsome??

He came at just the right time: just when summer vacation had the kids literally climbing the walls...

...and just before I was too overwhelmed by the beginning of my (last) semester of grad school.

Perfect timing, buddy!

We're wearing him out.

And he's fitting right in. He has so far destroyed nothing, nor has he peed or pooped on anything he shouldn't. He's walking on the leash, playing with us in the evenings, and sleeping all night in his crate- provided the crate is located where he can see Jon or me.

I'm getting outside a lot more and getting more exercise than I know what to do with. The good thing though, is that the tiredness is easier to handle in the Colorado sunshine than it would be indoors!

Adele's dreams have come true. She's always wanted this arrangement:

The cats are handling it better than expected. They have even been known to allow themselves to appear in the same room as the dog, from time to time!

He's done a lot for all of our moods.

He even keeps us company while we exercise indoors!

Koopa not only gets me exercise, but he gets me alone time. I need this badly, after an entire summer of full-time parenting!

Yesterday, Jon and I agreed: this dog couldn't have been more perfect for us, and we can't believe it hasn't even been a week since came home with us.

Koopa is another blessing afforded by our move, reminding us that God has indeed strewn every path with gifts. We have a relationship. I may never be exactly a dog person, but I am a Koopa person.