**Less than 2 weeks**

[Leslie du Mont]

[jumping up and down]

We picked a pup and now have less than two weeks until we pick him up at Old Mill Doodles!

Whoa! Holy cow! There's our boy! Atticus Doodlie du Mont

I'm calling Tidewater k9 trainer on Monday. I bought two sizes of Kongs, a small gentle leader, an Orka tuggie chewie thing, a squeaky Kong Wubba, and "the Art of training a puppy" by the Monks of New Skete. I need to get so much more that my brain hurts. Crate, food and water bowls, a pooper scooper, lead, poop bags, decide on a food, call the vet to set up the initial appt, etc...

I'm so glad that new puppy checklists are all over the place! I feel like I just had a baby with two weeks notice! My brain is so excited that it is overwhelmed.

[Leslie du Mont]

Michele: Thanks for the advice. I had to laugh though bc I'm a professional photographer! :-) I've got a few cameras sitting around. This might just be the most photographed puppy in VA! About the insurance, I'll research them tomorrow p.m. after church. :-) Hadn't even thought of that. Thank you!

Krista, I'm going to ck into the petstreetmall.com deal! That sounds like the perfect thing for us. Whoo-hoo!

Man, this place and everyone here is so helpful.

[Michele, Biscuit & Mo]

May I also recommend pet insurance? The sooner you do it (the day you get Atticus!), the more comprehensive it is. It's been well worth the cost for us. We use VPI Pet Insurance and they've been terrific.

[Michele, Biscuit & Mo]

It's such an exciting time for you - enjoy! And one BIG thing for the checklist: a camera! You're going to want to take photos like crazy, cuz they grow so quickly! Atticus is a beauty - can't wait to see more photos soon!

[Krista, Angel, and Toby]

I am so excited for you! The list of must-haves is a long one! I've been buying in drips and drabs for about 3 months now and with still another month and a half to wait, I think I am in the clear. My advice: don't sweat. Just make a list, prioritize what you need NOW and what can wait for a little while, and then go to a pet supply store and have at it. But since you need a crate and food and water bowls, I recommend the Puppy package from petstreetmall.com It comes with a crate, two silver bowls, a collar, a leash, a puppy kong, rawhide chews, pet bed, shampoo and a slicker brush. (I know that you already bought two kongs, but maybe you could bring one back if you choose to go with this package? It's a phenomenal deal. The size I bought was the medium sized one, which is $82 for everything. Shipping's free.) Anyway, it'll cut down on the size of the list. Hope that helps. =0)