Monday, June 22, 2009

Back up to Six

You knew we couldn't hold out for long - we have selected the newest member of the Morningstar family! We put thought and research into the decision and finally chose to go with a puppy even though she'll be a lot of work in the beginning. And not just any puppy, we finally decided that, despite the sissy name, a labradoodle is the right dog for us.

If you're unfamiliar with labradoodles, they're a cross-breed between labrador retrievers and standard poodles (those are the cool, big poodles, not the sissy little freaky ones - no offense intended to sissy little freaky poodle owners), making for smart, friendly, very trainable dogs that don't shed. Each of these characteristics stands in stark contrast to Nesbitt who, God rest her soul, wasn't particularly intelligent, hated most other dogs and the vast majority of people, and shed constantly. We know that we were responsible for most of Nesbitt's idiosyncrasies and look forward to starting over with a blank slate of a puppy who is genetically predisposed to socially acceptable dog behaviors.

We are all thrilled with our puppy-to-be. She's only five weeks old now, so she won't come home for another couple of weeks. This is fortunate because it gives us a chance to read up on all of the "how to not screw up your dog" books that the library offers.

It's also given us time to decide on a name for our new pup, which has been no small task. We were committed to a Russian name and after trying several on for size we've finally settled on Chornaya, or Chorney for short. Chornaya is the female version of "black" in Russian, so it's sort of like naming her "Blackie." It sounds more creative in Russian :)

And although we are all looking forward to bringing home the sixth Morningstar, Sasha is clearly the most excited. The girl is dog-crazy! She had to kiss every puppy in the litter and here's a picture of her giving Chorney her 10th or 20th peck of the evening. We figured that if the chicks could survive Sasha's "love," a puppy should have no problem... right?

Sasha is so enamored that she has started demanding that we put Chorney's photos up on the computer screen so she can give them kisses. Now that's some serious puppy love!

12 comments:

sandyamstar said...

Awesome!!! Such a cool name too (is it pronounced the way it looks?) When I heard "doodle" it sounded like a yippy-dog name but thankfully that isn't the case!!!

Jstar said...

Yep, it's just pronounced "Chore-nee"

Rayna said...

oh my goodness...that is too cute that she kisses the picture!! i love it. the pup is so adorable!! labradoodles are great dogs. and super cute and cuddly. congrats!

Joby and Marla said...

Cool name for the new puppy!!!
We have a maltipoo which is a poodle cross. He doesn't shed but his hair is curly & he tracks in mud all the time. He can't stay out of the water. I bet your dog will love the water also with the lab cross :)

Jennifer said...

Awww!! I love the kisses! Sasha is just so sweet.

But ok, I'm still stuck on the no shedding part. Seriously? A dog that stands taller than my knees that doesn't shed? Really? (Or very little.) Sweet!!!

Congrats on the new puppy you guys. She is very cute!

Jstar said...

That's what they say - a healthy sized dog with a lovable personality and little to no shedding. We'll see if the claims are true!

Selena said...

Congrats on the impending puppy! My parents have a goldendoodle and she is the nicest dog. The poodle definitely makes them smarter. Plus, they are really pretty.

E said...

May be bursting your bubble, but the non-shedding aspect just depends on which genes got there in the cross. You could end up with the same piles of hair we have! Librarian/dog trainer here recommends: Brian Kilcommons' Good owners, great dogs; Jack Volhard & Melissa Bartlett's What all good dogs should know; and the classic Mother knows best: the natural way to train your dog, by Carol Benjamin. If the library doesn't have, ask that we order.
Evelyn

The Gobble's (Lanetta) said...

very cute... Sasha is growing so much... wow!!!
It's amazing that it's been 5 months.. wow!!!

Jstar said...

Fair enough, my librarian/dog-trainer friend! We shall see what the genetic roll of the dice yields. Thanks for the recommendations!

Susan said...

aww I love Chorney!!! great name! We have a labradoodle..his name is Miles and he is 4. We got him as a puppy and he is a great dog-he is white. :) He is HUGE-105 lbs.
Labradoodles are GREAT FAMILY DOGS! I was a bit worried when Leeza came home cuz he's so big and he's very much spoiled-but he is amazing with her. She stands on him, lays on him, jumps over him, and he tolerates it all. She also feeds him-so i think he just puts up with her. I have some cute pics on my blog of her kissing him too. :)

I love how Sasha loves him already. Kids and dogs are so good together-I can't wait to see their developing friendship. :)

Miles DOES shed-but not as bad as a lab or a golden..but he does shed. But we love him anyway-even though he ate my entire package of Twizzlers the other day.

shannon said...

LOVE CHORNEY!! soooo cute. Ok, more Karaganda girl similiarities:: they are a kissy bunch, they love animals ... they love to kiss on animals (and humans too!)

Hugs to the Morningstars!
Shannon

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