Dakota has joined our family

For the last month or so, Mike and I have been chatting about getting a dog.  It all started when we noticed a rabbit eating our plants in the backyard.  Mike’s initial solution was to buy a BB gun and take care of it, but I wasn’t going to let that happen.  So he suggested we get a dog.

At first I ignored him, but as he did the research (you know Mike he ALWAYS does his research) we figured out what types of dogs would get along with our two cats and I started to look online at pictures.  There are so many great dogs out there that need a good family and while it’s a big decision to get a dog, Mike and decided we were ready.

So on the way home from work last night, we stopped at the Dumb Friends League to see what they had.  We knew that we wanted to get a Lab, but we weren’t set on a color or size.  So after registering, we walked through the adoption center to see what was available.  The very first dog that we looked at was Dakota.  She had an adorable face and appeared to be very social.  We wrote down her number and kept walking.

We wrote down the numbers for four dogs.  One had already been adopted, so we decided to visit with two of the others on our list.  The first was Diedra and she was approximately a year old and was a Lab and German Shepard mix.  While she was a beautiful dog, she wasn’t right for us.

So we decided to meet Dakota next.  We were able to take her outside into the play area and she immediately wanted us to toss the tennis ball with her.  Her coat was shinny and black and she had a face that said “Take me home!” so we did…

Here’s a few pictures of Dakota, the newest member of the Quinn/Minton family:

We were a little nervous as to how the cats would react to Dakota and so far it’s been okay.  Kali likes to check her out from a distance and to knowledge has only hissed at her once.  She’s good about staying away from Kali, but is definitely interested in her.  Karmel on the other hand has been hiding in the basement for the last 12 hours.  Now that Ryan and Mike are down there working, he’s moved to Ryan’s room and is currently hanging out under his bedspread.  We figure it will take at least a week if not more for him to come out of hiding.

This morning Mike and I headed out to PetSmart to buy food, treats and toys.  Dakota immediately started playing with one of the toys we bought her and before long we figured out that she needs chew resistant toys as this is the result of less than 10 minutes with the new toy:

She’s only 8 months old, so I picked out a puppy chew toy that ho

s a treat inside of it which is supposed to keep the dog amused.  We’ll I guess that works as long as the dog doesn’t chew through it to get the treat out.  Here’s a picture of her with the toy before she chewed it apart.

Dakota was transferred to the Dumb Friends League from a shelter in North Platte, Nebraska but has found a home Mike, Ryan and I in Colorado.  We are happy that she has joined our family and we look forward to taking her hiking and to the dog parks once it gets warmer.

We hope that you get to meet her soon!