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New Little Guy

September 10, 2023

About one month ago, on August 7th, we appended a new little guy to our life: a dachshund named Picasso! (His larger-than-life name makes us laugh.) This is the first time we (Cassidy and I) have been responsible for any living being on our own.

It's been fun to see our dynamic change as we gradually move from “couple” to “family”. He’s not a child, of course – but when a couple adds a dog to their life, is it appropriate to begin calling them a family? I don't know.

A small dachshund puppy
His glamour shot
A small dachshund puppy sitting in my lap

We had planned on a "small" dog, but neither of us realized we’d end up with a small dog.

A small dachshund puppy
A small dachshund puppy
After one month, it’s clear that Picasso is Cassidy’s dog
A small dachshund puppy
We’re investing a lot of time into his upfront training. Each week, we load him up in the car and go to pup pre-school together.
A small dachshund puppy
A small dachshund puppy
Not even an arm’s length

What’s strange for us to consider is the span of our decision making. While we’ve been considering a dog for over a year, the decision to get him was somewhat quick and impulsive! The consequence of that impulse may still be with us when we’re 40 years old!

If all goes well, he’ll be the first (or among the first) dogs our kids grow up with. (I say “among the first”, because it’s only a matter of time before we pick up a second, based on the way the wind is blowing.)

A small dachshund puppy

One more fun image: his report card from an evaluation day at our local day care. Apparently, he’s the absolute ringleader of the small pups. Shy and sweet, he is not.

A behavioral report card for a small dachshund puppy