Initially David said it would be five years before we got another pet.  He didn’t want to add one more thing to our family.  I protested, saying that there was no way I was waiting five years for another pet and that he was crazy.  In reality it took us about three weeks after Cosmo died.  Introducing Heidi Von Snugglestein:

She’s a 12 week old miniature schnauzer whom we bought from a sweet family in downtown Dallas.  She had been given as a Valentine’s Day gift but found herself in a family that didn’t even have the time to name her otherwise feed and play with her.  David scooped her up and brought her home.

David and I are both rather smitten with her, and yes, she is sleeping every night in our bed. Her sweetest characteristic is her undying loyalty and love to “her people”.  Heidi insists on being wherever we are.  She follows me around like, well, a puppy. If I stand still for any amount of time she curls up next to me and falls asleep, but my slightest movement wakes her and she’s ready to move on to the next activity.

Max has forced himself to overcome any anxiety in order to love and bond with Heidi. He was adamant that he was going to like this dog regardless of how much she jumped or nipped.  Harper has reached a sort of peace accord with the dog where they have both agreed to ignore each other.  Lucy, however, is the hold out.  She likes the IDEA of a dog but the reality of it has made her uneasy.  We’ve signed Lucy up to take obedience training with Heidi and we are hoping that the structured classroom environment will help Lucy gain some confidence with the dog.

Most importantly she is the extra love that we needed to complete the family.  I still miss Cosmo and at times could swear I hear him meowing but nothing heals the loss of a pet like a new pet.  Heidi is helping all of us heal after a season of great loss.