Never in a million years did I think we would have this latest addition to the family

In case you read the title to this blog post and thought I am pregnant: I am not.

Phew.

The new addition to our family is of the canine variety: a rescued Shih Tzu from the Animal Shelter.

Never, never in a million trillion years would I have thought I would ever own one of these ridiculous toy dogs.  But alas: now I do.  I'm head over heels in love with him.

Read on to learn why on Earth the Sahlin family now has a tiny dog.

I used to make fun of people who owned dogs that look like they ran into a wall.  But for over a year, I have noticed these little doggies, and more and more often I have exclaimed "Oh, how cute!", while Steve disbelievingly looked at me, his tomboy-motorcycle-riding, huge Saint Bernard-dogs-favoring wife.

And yet.  There's something about a little animal snuggled up on your lap.  And since I'm allergic to cats, and since our other dog Raka grew from a lap-sitting puppy into an elephant, I have been craving a little doggie.

On Thursday, we ran into our neighbors as we walked our (big) dogs, and I told them how much I have been craving the company of a lap dog.  Speaking it out loud made it real, and after the walk I got on the internet to look at dogs up for adoption at local animal shelters.

The Bellingham shelter, one and a half hours away from us, had a little Shit Tzu up for adoption, but they told me that six other families are already interested in him.

I knew we had to act quickly, because he would be gone in a second.  So the whole family showed up in the morning, 5 minutes before the animal shelter opened its doors.  I didn't really think that we would bring home a dog that day, but since 3 minutes after we showed up all the other people who wanted to adopt him appeared, we made the choice very quickly.

Yes, of course he needed to go home with us.

Naturally, we had brought Raka with us, and the two met and were very friendly with each other, so this sealed the deal.

Raka and Chowder (this is the name he came with) have sniffed each other, licked each other's fur, gently nibbled on each other, and I assume this means they will be pals for life.

The first evening we all spent together was quite the comedy show, everyone competing for space and attention on the sofa, and getting to know each other.

Of course we are showering Raka with lots of attention so she won't get jealous or sad that she is no longer a single child dog, and she's taking this change in stride.

She is even sharing her own personal sofa with her new boyfriend, who likes to perch high on a throne made with sofa cushions and blankets.

Yep, this dog has royal roots in ancient China all right.

I'm sorry to overwhelm you with dog pictures in this post, but this is kind of a big deal for our family, and since you will be seeing more pictures of our Chowder, I thought I'd introduce you.

Besides lots of rain and the snow finally melting a little bit, not much is going on.  Yet.  Soon, I'll start onion seeds and get my head wrapped around gardening, but for now, homeschooling, coaching women, and making good food are my priorities.

And snuggling with a little toy dog named after soup...