New Puppy!

[dandrewk]

What better way to help christen a new board than a new Puppy!  We've been thinking about another dog ever since our beloved Australian Shepard (Zoe) passed away a couple of years ago.  This time around, we had very certain requirements:

• We wanted a smaller dog this time around, one that could happily be indoors and not be quite so intimidating when rushing to greet strangers.
• A lot of smaller dogs are also annoyingly "yippy" - something we can't tolerate.
• MUST get along with cats, other animals and small children.  MUST love humans!
• Be happy sitting on laps.  ALSO tolerate being alone in crate for small periods of time

I'm happy to report we found what we were looking for!  We got Felix a couple of months ago when he was just 9 weeks old.  He is a Norwich Terrier - some might remember the dog Winky from the movie "Best in Show" - same breed.  Kinda hard to find as there are only about 300 puppies born in the USA per year, but we got lucky and found a breeder 30 miles from us.  They max out around 10-12 pounds which is perfect.

Felix has adapted quite well.  He gets along great with our indigenous cat population, LOVES strangers, doesn't yip or bark unless he REALLY wants to... which is rare, LOVES to cuddle and is pretty easy to travel with.  We went on a weeklong trip to Southern California - Disneyland and beaches - and he handled it great!  Didn't mind the long car rides, allowed us to stick him in the Disneyland Kennel Club with minimal guilt tripping, and... let me tell you... LOVED the awesome dog beaches or Orange County!  He's currently only 7 pounds, but got along great with the other MUCH MUCH larger dogs.  He had a blast running from site to site, laying on his charms with all the dog owners and was the HIT of Surf City that day.

He's grown a lot since then, but I thought I'd share some images and videos. 

At Baker Beach in San Francisco:
]

Puppy fun:

Felix Puppy Part 1

Felix Puppy Part 2

[davew]

that is a seriously cute pup
liked the one ear up, one ear down in the first vid

[msgtphil]

Definitely a cute pup!

[Dan]

What a great puppy Dave.  Felix looks like he will be perfect for you, loved the videos.  I'm sure all of you are going to have fun... what a life lounging on leather sofas and cruising to the beach.

[redeye]

Congratulations! Although I tend to be more of a "cat person" these days, Felix could easily make me reconsider. The videos are great, and the picture of Felix on the beach is superb. Hopefully, you will enjoy each other's company for years to come!

[HappyPuppy]

Cute dog... and baker beach in the summer with hardly any fog! I used to surf and wakeboard there as a kid all the time.

[dandrewk]

Cute dog... and baker beach in the summer with hardly any fog! I used to surf and wakeboard there as a kid all the time.

Oh, it was plenty foggy over the bay.  58 degrees.  Shockingly though, it didn't seem to lessen the "clothing optional" group that hang out in a section of that beach.

Felix didn't mind them, but then I made sure he didn't wander over there.  It would have scared the heck out of such a young puppy!

[Didiki]

What a cutie.

That's a poster for PIXAR if I ever saw one. 

_______
Dick

[Maggie]

Seriously cute!!!!!

[dandrewk]

That picture was a bit of a miracle.  Taken with an iPhone 3gs, I had to guess the framing with my right hand while trying (gently) to press the "snap" button with my right thumb, all the while struggling to keep a wriggling puppy in position with the left arm.  Hard to do because he wanted to jump all over me, and wasn't to be denied.

I did have his leash helping me hold him still, but it would have been easier if I had an 8 foot wingspan.  The leash was removed by the magic of Photoshop.

[Norm]

Very cute dog Dave. Makes me miss my Gehrig.