New Furry Friend Part 2

We half promised the kids we'd get a new dog "after we got back from Wisconsin". So as soon as we got home the kids started asking about it. We knew we wanted to go about things differently this time. We didn't feel safe just getting a dog off Craigslist or even from the pound. Too many risks. We also didn't want to pay a fortune for a pure bred. So we decided to look for a dog from a rescue - where the current foster would be able to tell us more about the dog and his/her temperament and possibly help us determine if the dog was the right fit for us.

I joined a Facebook group called "Adopt Me AZ" that is rescues posting available animals. The animals on this group are safe in foster homes just waiting to be adopted. I started checking it every day and on June 18th I saw a beautiful yellow lab named Phoenix. I decided to message the rescue and find out more. It turns out Phoenix was in training to be a service dog for autistic children but failed because she was too scared. I knew it was a go when the rescue lady said she loved kids and she had been around chickens! So, we asked if we could meet her.

Today, Cher from Charlotte's Way Rescue, drove all the way from Oracle, AZ to our house so we could meet Phoenix. As soon as she walked in the door we all loved her. After a short interview, we signed the adoption contract and she was ours!

She is shy and a bit skittish. Hopefully, over time she will feel more comfortable with us. She is so good with Annabeth. In fact, Annabeth is the one who can get nearest to her without her getting nervous. It seems the taller you are the less comfortable she feels.

Cher from the rescue said a new home means a new name so we decided to call her Libby. Jerry and I came up with that one night this week while sitting in the pool. We rattled off names until we came across one we liked. Having just driven through so many places on vacation we tossed out a few city names. Libby is sorta shout out to Liberty (Missouri) and Liberal (Kansas).

I have to say adopting from a rescue is the way to go! Libby is already fixed, up-to-date on shots, potty-trained, crate-trained, great on a leash, knows several commands, and we know a good bit about her history. You can't get that from the pound or even from a new puppy! Instant pet, just add food and water. Actually, that is just about what happened; right after Cher left Jerry had to run to the pet store and get a collar, leash, and food!

Welcome to the Shown Family, Libby!

Field Trip: Peter Piper Tour 2014

We joined our old neighborhood friends for a tour of Peter Piper Pizza today. We went last summer and had a great time. This year was just as much fun!

We got to go in the back and see them making the dough and baking the pizzas. Then we got to make our own pizzas and have an early lunch.

While we were waiting for our pizzas to bake each of the kids got 10 tokens. Even Annabeth used some of her tokens this year. Her favorite was the candy claw game where you get to keep trying until you win something. The prize was Tootsie Rolls which is one of her favorites anyway. She was very happy with her small cup of "winnings". The boys played on their own and even went up and spent their tickets on prizes and candy all without help from me.

Then on the way home we stopped by LaForce to say hello to Jerry and give him a hard time that we got to have his favorite pizza without him!

New Furry Friend (Part 1)

We've done something we've never before… a Shown Family first... we adopted a kitten! Our 4-H Cloverbud leader had some kittens she was trying to find home for. She told me her cat (the kitten mama) was a great hunter - including gophers. So we thought we'd take a chance and see if a cat can help us with our gopher problem. Wesley and I are both mildly allergic to cats so this fellow will be an outside "farm cat".

When we got back from our WI vacation I send 4-H leader Molly an email and asked her if she had any kittens left. She said she had one orange boy left. So that evening (June 5) we stopped by Walmart and picked up some kitten food and then went over to her house to pick him up. She said he was the most shy of the kittens and he proved it by hiding. Her daughter finally caught him and I carried him out to the van and placed him a box. He didn't appreciate that and clawed his way out despite Wesley keeping his feet on the box. Thankfully he didn't freak out, climb under the brake pedal, or pee in the van - which were all my concerns as we drove him home.

We followed the advice of a neighbor (and an internet article about farm cats) and put him in a dog crate with food, water, and a make shift litter box for a week so he could learn where home is. We played with him, cuddled him, and fed him generously. A week later we opened the door and let him out. He hasn't run away yet!

In fact, the shy kitten is no more. He comes when called and seems to really like our company. He is so great with the kids even letting Annabeth carry him around. I have always said I am not a cat person, but this little guy is so cute and has a good personality to boot. After the kids go to bed, Jerry and I usually go out for a swim. He loves to sit by Jerry and I, either on the deck or the table right by the pool.

I give him a bit of wet cat food each morning. He knows it's coming and waits by the door. When we can't find him we call "Kitty" and he usually comes yawning and stretching out of the irrigation tube that runs under our driveway.

We were stumped when it came to giving him a name. We got several good suggestions. The boys wanted to call him Stampey after a video game character but when we got him it just didn't seem to fit him. I suggested Morrissey which Jerry really liked but that didn't seem right either. My sister suggested Carlo because she has a cat named Monte or Tom because we already have a Jerry.

Jerry took him for some shots last Saturday. Knowing we'd have to put something down on the paperwork we decided Annabeth's name made the cut. She loves the new PBS kid's show Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. The main character is a little tiger named Daniel. From the first time she laid eyes on him she called him Daniel.

We called him "Kitty" for 3 weeks before we decided on a name so as a compromise we named him Daniel Kitty and the first time he brings me a dead gopher I will love him forever!