Pixel

Our family has converted!  We are now dog people!   After putting together a 30 slide power point presentation for Loving Husband (no lie)  we got him on board to the idea of getting a dog.   Because every kid needs a dog!  

Loving Husband wanted a puppy and I wanted a cairn terrier and a dog from a shelter.     It seemed to be fate that right after LH got on board we found a litter that was ready to go home with two pups still unclaimed from the litter.   So we went to have a look!  

Having studied up we went through several 'tests' with the dog to ensure that it wasn't a dog that was overly nervous, skiddish, aggressive, etc..  He passed all the tests and I think best of all he was raised in a foster home with small kids that loved and smothered them excessively and so our pup was more than happy.    Yes, our little guy was on the smaller size from the litter.   He was one of five puppies to be born to a cairn terrier mix who was found wandering in a park.  His mama delivered the next day in the shelter and then all of them went to live at their foster home until adoption day.   

Our little guy weighed in at 2.2lbs at 8 weeks and was neutered!  Eep!  Sad day for the tiny guy... but coming from a shelter it's their policy so that they prevent future unwanted litters.  It makes sense but it is still a little sad.   I digress!   So he was neutered on a Friday and that Sunday we went to have a look-see!   As I mentioned above he was perfect for us and although smaller than our desired dog, he stole our hearts and we took him home.  On our ride home we began to go through names and after going through several options we moved onto photography terms and came across Pixel!  It was perfect.  So by the time we headed to the pet store to buy his food we knew his name and so we got his tag! :)

In his foster home he had been in a pin with his brothers and sisters and adults in the home said 'good night' at 8pm and then good morning at 5am.   This was a bit of a transition for us all the first week.   We crate trained Pixel and the first two nights we had him in a pin with his crate inside and the door open.  He happily slept in his crate from the start with no issue.   Night three we closed the crate and eliminated the pin and he slept through the night our 9 week old puppy slept all night and was even starting to stretch out his sleep pushing past 6am.   After a week or two he was finally on track with the rest of the family with a more reasonable 7am(ish) start.  :)

Pixel loves to play fetch and aside from not wanting to drop whatever he retrieved he's pretty good at it! He has recently learned to 'speak' - which is good - now we can concentrate on 'quiet' :) but to be fair he's a pretty good dog and isn't a yapper. He barks when he's excited and playing, when he needs to go potty, or is trying to get our attention. He is still uber hyper when meeting new people and is very much a puppy. 

Pixel the first few weeks of his life with us were full of medicine!  Poor dog needed some ear drops twice a day and he caught kennel cough somewhere along the way and required a 2 week round of 2x a day oral antibiotics.  Thankfully he and I got into a routine and he actually was very good at taking the antibiotic meds... The ear drops depended on the day and his level of angst - but we got through it and he's a happy and good to go puppy!   

I have to give this puppy props because on the 4th of July (his first holiday!)  He did not care one bit about the war zone that was going on in our neighborhood... and when I say war zone I am talking about 7-10 different neighbors within visible distance from one another lighting off professional sized mortars over and over and over.  He didn't budge and went to sleep no problem.

He's a great dog and a happy new addition to our family - even if logistically he does take a little extra planning as a result. :) The kids love him and Morgan only took a few days to warm up to him. Pixel does jump and bite on them (playfully in his mind) and so there is still more work to be done, but overall they all get along great!

 Pixel is a typical puppy that requires training to break habits of biting, jumping, etc.  :)   I am happy to report that just in the last week - Week 14 - so 5 weeks after having Pixel in our home I am feeling more confident that he's finally "getting" potty training.  I think a large hurdle for that is that he finally has learned that he CAN in fact get down off the deck and go in the yard.  Silly dog.  He's tiny, but he's not THAT tiny.  :) 
 
Now the BIGGEST question - what IS he?   His mama was a carin terrier mix.  But his papa??  Originally it was guessed that he was a chihuahua, but that is less and less likely - next guess was a toy or mini Australian Shepard because of his general look and the natural bobtail that he has.   Most recently yorkie or sheltie has been tossed around.  Anyone else care to weigh in?   :) 

9.5 weeks old

14 weeks old

He's gotten a bit longer, taller, and his snout has elongated some.  He weighs in at 3.6lbs now.