And Gordo makes 7!

That's right, our family of 6 has expanded by 1.  Meet Gordo, our 1-year-old shelter rescue dog, who is some kind of lab mix. 

 

We were looking into getting a puppy, and even paid to adopt one, but he died from distemper before he was old enough for shots. (Don't worry, the shelter refunded our money).  Then Gordo showed up on their website and he seemed like a good match for us.  Here are the great things about Gordo:
1 - He is already house trained.
2 - He is already crate trained.
3 - He is not a barker.  I've only heard him do it a handful of times in 2 weeks.
4 - He is patient with the kids.
5 - He is mellow (surprising for a lab)
6 - He already knows some commands.
7 - He was a Valentine's Day special - only $14 to adopt!  Yay cheap dog!
8 - So much easier than a puppy!!

He came to us already knowing his name, so we haven't tried to change it. :)  We brainstormed many names as we looked for the perfect dog; they included Fat head and Bossy Pants (McKinley), Applejack (Rachel), Rocky and Boomer (Ella), and Captain Rex (Caleb).  In the end, this dog already answers to Gordo, so Gordo he stays.  Kind of funny, since he is a skinny little thing, not "gordo" at all.  But Rob mentioned that in Hispanic culture, it is also used as a term of affection, so we will go with that.  Our cute little Gordito.

Also, he is heartworm positive, which I guess is pretty common among rescued dogs.  Another bonus?  The rescue organization pays for his expensive heartworm treatment,we just have to give him meds (in a spoonful of peanut butter) and take him to the vet (for injections).  He is exercise restricted until after his injections, so until summertime pretty much, but that is just ANOTHER bonus because that means I don't have to take him for walks in the freezing temperatures and snow.  WOOHOO!  After he has a negative heartworm test, we can increase his exercise regimen to normal, but it will be warm by then and easier to get outside and walk everyday.

He is not allowed upstairs in the bedrooms or on the furniture (which is great!), but we've noticed that every night after we turn out the lights and go to bed, he hops onto the couch to sleep, where we find him in the morning.  I am not willing to come down all night and keep kicking him off the couch, so today we invested in a big fluffy bed.  I was unsure how he would take to it, I've heard that some dogs won't even touch their beds.  But Gordo, like the great dog he is, liked it right away!  He kept returning to it all afternoon and is sleeping peacefully in it as I type. :)

 

 

Hopefully he will be content to sleep there and not hop to the couch after I leave.  We will find out in the morning!

The kids are thrilled to have Gordo in our family, and I am glad to no longer be the lone holdout. :)  We picked him up on Caleb's birthday, the 17th of February, so every year we can celebrate both of them on the same day.  Caleb is happy to share his special day with his furry buddy.  Welcome to the family, Gordo!