It seemed to work to a point.  Dr. Kate is our vet.   WE LOVE HER :)  She is fabulous with the animals, and seemed tickled that we had taken in more dogs.

The visit actually went well.  The shelter had made sure that they were all up to date on their vaccinations, Sedona was spayed, Matrix was neutered .  Matrix was a bit underweight, and Dr. Katie told me that that was fine and to be very careful on feeding small dogs.  One pound on a small dog is like ten on an adult.

We all went home very happy.

Within several months of having Sedona & Matrix we figured out their personalities very quickly.  Miss Sedona is the lady.  Does not like having accidents in the home.  Asks before she sits next to you and loves her toys.  She is very reserved and definitely has her favorite people in our home.  (Me of course being her ultimate favorite).  She will ask to go out verbally (Which sounds very weird).

Matrix, is a goof.  He has big floppy ears and just looks funny.  He is the most loveable dog, but not one with a high intelligence.  Matrix (in the beginning) would have  to go to the bathroom and would pee or poop where he was standing.   Even Sedona would look at him with a disgusted face.  Consistent walks took care of this problem, but to this day we put down potty pads if we are going out for more than a couple of hours.  He is fabulous with my 5 year old (she was 3 when we brought him home.)  He will let her cart him around without a fuss and quite frankly loves the attention from her.

Looking over at the two new family members, all apprehension faded. Little Dina was shivering like a leaf and it was then that I knew, they were just as afraid as I was.

I had made the decision to pick them up, while the kids were at school to eliminate THAT stress. This way, they could get a feel of the house, greet Winston Churchill on their own terms and figure me out. The last thing they needed was to receive the over abundance of love that they would be showered with from my kids.

I am definitely the pack leader in our house. Once I released the negative energy of fear, I could see both dogs calming down.

Walking into our home and greeting WinstonSedona & Winston Churchill sharing a bed on the first day!

was such a wonderful thing to view. Both dogs took to him immediately and he just completely embraced them as pack members. There were no dominating issues with me asserting my pack leader qualities.

The kids came home and it was re-naming time.  I told them I had a name for Dina...one of my most favorite places that I had visited was Sedona, Arizona.  I named her Sedona.   It fit her personality.  Then I told the kids they could re-name Elvis.  My four year old came up with Daisy (hmmmm, not a good fit).  Then as we watched Elvis my son said that we should call him Matrix.   That name did seem like a good fit also.

NEXT:  Vet visit and getting used to each other.

I always thought of myself as a "big dog" person. Many times I would jeer when I would see a little dog and more than once said "That's not a dog"....

We finally got a BIG DOG. Winston Churchill. Winston LOVED playing with little dogs (he was a bit on the sensitive side), so after having him seven months and with permission of the other family members, I went to the Northeast Animal Shelter. They only had two small dogs and they were in the cage together with a big sign stating "WE WOULD LIKE TO GO TO OUR FOREVER HOME TOGETHER". Their names were Elvis and Dina and they were transported to Massachusetts from West Virginia AND because I only wanted one, I did not linger long at their cage.

Then the moment happened, before I walked away, I caught the female dogs eyes and was lost that very second. I told the shelter we wanted both dogs, but the shelter didn't want us to have the dogs. They were concerned that the bigger dog would not take to them. I told them to hang on a minute, ran to the car to get Winston Churchill and let them all meet. That was all the confirmation the shelter needed. The DOGS had a great first meeting.  The outcome, new family members.

NEXT:  The trip Home!