You Guys, He's Here!!

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

To say that I'm bubbling with excitement does not even cover it.

Ludo got home late last night and he is an absolute dream.  I am somewhat hesitant to mention this on DK out of some (hopefully) irrational fear of being judged, but Ludo was shipped here on United Airlines PetSafe program. I know that shipping puppies (though I can't find a lot on DK about it) is somewhat controversial.  It was kind of a rocky start, he was supposed to arrive on Wednesday through Delta, but there was an issue with the climate control in the cargo area so his flight was canceled and he was sent United yesterday. It was a long day for him and I was sweaty-palmed with worry, checking flight updates every 10 minutes or so.  But he got here. And he's amazing. I had found a few checklists of things to bring to the airport which included:

• Towels
• Trash bags (to get rid of the absorbent padding in the crate
• Baby wipes in case he's messy,
• Bowl
• Water
• Scissors to cut off the zip ties
• Some kibble
• Paper towels
• Poop pick-up bags
• Collar and leash and ID

Out of everything I packed, I used a towel to lay in my lap just in case he had an accident. I do think it's still a helpful list, but just wasn't necessary for me.

He was a little nervous getting out of his crate, but we gently coaxed him out (I was totally against reaching in and pulling him out) and by the time we got to the car across a short parking lot, he was licking my face.  I held him in the car and he immediate rolled onto his back for me to scratch his belly and we had double leg kicks.  So sweet.  He fell asleep and slept the whole way home!

My four year old niece spent the night and I woke her up (it was around midnight) to come meet him.  We stayed up till 1:30 playing and letting him get used to us. Aside from being a bit mouthy, he was fabulous. 

Bedtime was a little bit rough, he was whimpering every few minutes and when I'd stick my fingers in the crate, he was just pressing against the side to be near me.  I know it's a no-no, and I knew it then. But maybe it was that he'd only been home for 2 hours and that he'd been in a cage all day, but I tucked him into bed next to me and he cuddled up as close as he could get to me and slept through the night.  

He woke up happy, has had no accidents, is starting to learn to sit and has caught onto fetch. Selfishly, I don't regret doing it, I feel like he recognizes me as his primary caregiver and knows I'm his mamma.  I could not be happier and hopefully he feels the same.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Congratulations....he's adorable!

[Jenny and Cooper]

Aaaww what a sweet story! I'm really happy for you. Every puppy is different and everyone here is different. You do what is best for you and what works for you. It's almost like raising a child, there is not a book out there that will apply perfectly for everyone on hoe to raise a child. I think it goes the same for raising a puppy. As long as you are happy and Ludo is happy, then you're doing it right! :) Enjoy him while he is still tiny and take lots of videos (something I wish I had done more)!