We got a puppy! His name is Dash!
He is a 13-week-old cockapoo. We are in love!
We picked him up — from the farm where he was bred & born — on Saturday at noon. It was a 3-hour drive, round-trip. We had narrowed the name down by the time we headed out that day. Meera was set on “Lightening Dust.” Kyle and Owen wanted it to be “Rainbow Dash.” Braydon and I decided it would be “Lightening Dash,” hoping that “Dash” would stick. And stick it did. Nobody has mentioned the lightening part since seeing him. He is Dash Johnson-McCormick. Here are some shots from the drive home:
We arrived, introduced Dash to our home and to Lehigh…
…and then, after much playtime and overstimulation, he promptly fell asleep.
…on Kyle’s lap. Which was a dream-come-true for our Ky Ky (who has never been a fan of cats, and has long wanted a dog). Kyle kept saying, “Is this a dream? Am I dreaming? Seriously, this is a dream, right? Do I really have a dog? Is this our dog? Is this really happening? This is the perfect dog. How did we get such a perfect dog?”
Later that night, once we had the bambinos in bed, Braydon and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary with sushi, a movie, and our very first, brand-new, puppy. Now, that was a dream-come-true. (How long do you think it will be before Dash no longer sleeps with his head just a couple of inches away from sushi, without even attempting to taste one morsel of it?)
(Note: that night was not a dream-come-true. Braydon and I were up all night long with a crying, whining Dash baby spending his first night in his crate. Yes, we are crate training. No, we didn’t give in to him that night. Yes, we were exhausted the entire next day. No, crate training is not easy.)
But the best dream-come-true is seeing Dash become part of our family. This is why we finally broke down and decided to get a dog:
SO CUTE! The kids look thrilled with the new addition – and you look like a teenager holding Dash in the car
Hope nights have gotten better…
He looks like a very sweet puppy! But, I thought you had to give up Meera’s beloved cats when you moved to campus because you couldn’t have pets there. How long will you be able to keep the dog?
We can have cats or dogs as pets on campus. However, cats need to be strictly indoor cats. Hudson and Quinn (our kitties) were totally indoor-outdoor, and spent most of their waking hours outside chasing chipmunks and birds and basking in the great outdoors. It would have broken my heart more to force them to stay inside a tiny apartment 24×7 than it did to have to give them to another family. We did what was right for the cats, even though it was very hard on us (especially Meera).
How adorable is he? I remember the day I picked up my Boxer puppy Ace, on New Years Day. It was a pretty long trip, but worth it. I could not sleep the night before, as I was nervous about raising a new puppy. Now, 9 years later, I can say without a doubt, that he as been one of the best things to happen to me. Nothing short of a great blessing and addition to my life everyday. Enjoy many more years to come with your new Dash!
Yeah! Yipee! Yahoo!!!! I am so happy for all of you. Such a wonderful addition to your family and the perfect anniversary gift.
In regards to crate training: wrap a blanket or a t-shirt that smells like you around a ticking clock and put it in the crate. It helped me when I was crate training. Also, surrounded the crate in blanket or a sheet so it was like a little private quiet space for the pup. Good luck!!
Oh my!! The cutest!! Looks like my puppy I had growing up(age 4 to college!) he was a Wheaton terrier( Dash looks similar?!)
Enjoy those puppy snuggles!! Kyle, Owen and Meera’s must be over the moon! I remember the first night crate-training our chocolate lab-I was up all night and had to go teach the next day-people kept asking if I was feeling ok! Ha! Luckily puppies adapt quickly and you’ll be so glad you decided to crate train.
Seriously, you got yourselves a cute little “baby”! Have fun!!
Congrats on the new puppy! Crate training is hard, but it is well worth it in the long run. I still keep Penny (my French Bulldog) in a crate when I’m not home, and she’s now 4 years old. All she does is sleep all day, and her crate is very comfortably (more like a tent). I know she would be fine roaming the house when I’m not around, but I just feel it is better this way for times she is sick, boarding, at the vet, when people not fond of dogs are over, when she’s older, etc. When I’m getting ready to leave for the day, all I have to say is “Go in your house, Penny” and she listens. Congrats again on the new puppy!
Cute does not begin to describe Lightening Dash Johnson-McCormick! Congratulations.
Heather,
These pictures are just so sweet. I can’t get over them! I keep coming back to look at them! LOL!!! Congratulations!
Love, Maggie
Wow, what a cutie! Surprised though that you traveled so far to purchase a designer breed dog, rather than rescue/adopt a dog from the shelter. Looks like he is already doing a great job as the school therapy dog. Nice!
I know. I felt bad about not being able to do a shelter/rescue dog. But after much thought, discussion, deliberation, and research, we realized it wasn’t realistically feasible. Given our very unusual circumstances with our living situation, we needed to mitigate the risk as much as possible and do everything in our power to adopt a dog that would be adaptable to our unique lifestyle. Mainly, we needed a dog to “grow up” on campus so that it never knew anything different than being inundated daily by hundreds (literally) of young people eager to pick it up, play with it, pet it, and generally overwhelm and overstimulate it. We needed a dog that we could be confident would not have a nervous breakdown, and would not nip/bite ANYONE. We also needed: a non-shedding/hypo-allergenic dog (so as to not upset students who might have allergies) — a small enough dog to be manageable in our TINY living space, yet large enough to handle robust play with our kids — super smart/trainable — preferably fluffy and cuddly — known for not being loud (not yappy or barky) — and most importantly…. As non-aggressive and social/friendly/out-going/people-loving as possible. Cockapoo fit the bill entirely. So we focused on finding a cockapoo. And we knew we needed a puppy so that we could raise it from a young age in this lifestyle and circumstance. I also became obsessed with finding a cockapoo with the tail still on (most breeders “dock”/cut off the tails), so this narrowed the field tremendously. And I wanted the “apricot” color (just because I love the look). I was lucky to find Dash, who hit on every cylinder, and whose breeder described his personality to be EXACTLY what we wanted (cheerful, energetic, super-friendly, and loves being outside)… Only 1.5 hours away. I suspected he’d be a perfect match for us. 3 days in, and I’m certain that he is! That’s the story! He is not a shelter dog, no. But he also (we are willing to wager) won’t become a shelter dog due to us having to give him away… and for us that reality became more important than it was to adopt from a shelter. We are all for rescuing animals. But we’ve realized through this process that in some rare situations, it just isn’t the best option to go that route. In the end, we are happy with our choice… and the students are too. Cockapoos are known to be good therapy dogs… and I know, for SURE, that Dash is already one. Thanks for reading, ~Heather
Thanks Heather for providing this explanation to us! I totally get where you are coming from. Having grown up with Rescue Pets and adopting Strays we have had our fair share of challenges and group dynamics that simply do not work…that said we have a Garden and the space to cater for this/adapt to them so it’s is definitely about each situation. Definitely very considerate and thoughtful of you and Braydon! Dash is such a great fit and SUPER CUTE — makes me really want to get a Cockapoo!!
– Kate
Hi Heather! Thanks for explaining so well. Makes total sense! Glad you found the perfect fit in Dash! How thoughtful to also be considerate of any students’ possible allergies. And, best of all SUPER glad to hear he will be a forever member of your family!
Cockapoos are the best dog ever. My Scout will be 8 on Halloween and she is a love. She came loving other dogs but mostly kids and she will do anything to spend time with them. The joy this dog has brought me is immeasurable. Have fun!!! Scout makes me laugh every single day – even when it’s been a long, hard day.