12 More Days

On Dec. 4 we bring home our new puppy! We were going to go visit last Sunday but the mommy dog was sick. The breeder had her "1/2 American" friend call me to explain and reschedule. She was also going to be at the next meeting to be an interpreter. We rescheduled for Saturday (4 more days!) and she can be there then so that's nice! We will make our final decision on which puppy will be our's. When we went to visit on Nov. 5 I was smitten with Bajazzo, a play on "Payaso" which means clown in Spanish and Tagalog, but since all of these dogs have "B" names (temporarily) they had to change it to Bayaso or Bajazzo. :)  I also thought Blue Bell was sweet, and possibly Blue Angel (both females). But, we will see! I am hoping these next few days give the breeder more time to see their personalities and have a good recommendation for us come Saturday! We already have our first training session set up with a local trainer for a week after we have brought him or her home! But of course, I will start some training right away! As it's my first dog I feel a little like the trainer is my "post partum doula" coming to help keep me on the right track. :)

Naivety

http://parentalrights.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={93DDD5DA-E874-4D09-BBAB-4AA932981846}

If you run across this post please take a little while to understand what the UNCRC is and why the Parental Rights Amendment efforts exist. It is totally naive to say that just because the rest of the world has adopted this treaty that we should too. Our constitution is such that if we accept this treaty it overrules every law we have pertaining to parenting and children. Most, if not all, the other countries that have accepted this treaty have constitutions that allow them to pick and choose which parts they'd like. THAT is why the US has not done it already. So now for popular magazines to start saying that we should ratify it is extremely naive. This is an issue that will affect every parent and child...it is not rooted in any particular political "side." On a personal note I believe it would make homeschooling illegal in America. That sounds crazy, but it is the law here in Germany and many other countries so might not be many generations away from becoming the law in America too.

I'm sure there is a lot that I don't know and is obvious by my merely writing this (such as whether other countries have "constitutions" but that is besides the point. Please go here to read more about the efforts to get this amendment. http://www.parentalrights.org/

Time, Effort, Patience

Was hoping to post a picture of us in our new scout shirts as DH and I have taken on the task of leading our son's Cub Scout den this year! This is our 3rd year doing it and it has taken us some time to get up to speed on how it all works. (our first year doing it I had no idea that it was the scout "thing" to sell popcorn and was really taken aback by one of the den leaders yelling at us all to sign up to sell popcorn!) (I do have wonderings about the time and effort to do fundraisers vs paying for things ourselves....but that is another topic and also I need to find out more info/see the #s before I form an opinion on this one! Til then I will go with the flow).

Anyway I just have finally admitted in the process of getting uniform shirts for three of us (Middlest is a new scout) and trying to figure out what patches we need/getting them sewn on and doing our training plus planning for meetings, getting our keys to the scout hut, etc... that this entire effort really does require planning on the scale of starting a small private school!  Plus we are in Germany where we have to wait for orders to get mailed (no shop to run to to buy everything from unless you want to drive a good ways) and everything is run by parent volunteers who are working full time, get deployed, and go TDY. No one is paid and no one is full time. I just think sometimes people forget these things when they are new and wanting to get up to speed. It wouldn't be fair, although it would "make sense" to require some deadlines for having new den leaders and new kids sign up in order to be truly up and running by September. However its not fair and unrealistic because of course you have people moving in and out through the summer, settling in, getting their bearings and THEN thinking about signing their kids up for things like scouting when the new school year starts.

So there have been lots of people falling through the cracks (us included and we were already officially den leaders!) with getting Pack email updates, kids getting their awards and belt loops, and brand new last second families signing up wondering what is going on, who do they need to talk to, pay, how do they get emails, what uniform items do they need, etc.... DH was feeling the pressure from a new parent last night who is in our den and feeling like he SHOULD have the answers. I am thinking but hang on....we are new to this entire pack and we barely know who to talk to and how things work! This parent said something to DH along the lines of "are you asking me or are you telling me?" to which DH was going "ummm.....ack!" LOL.

Anyway it is just one of those things where the leaders are doing their best (cub scout motto!) and also need to not beat themselves up when something falls through the cracks. To top it all off the whole pack is moving from one system to another and there is still a learning curve for this new system and some kids and parents didn't get switched over.

It is just something that needs to be approached with more respect in terms of the time and effort it requires. Take a bunch of very busy, transient people and try to get something along the lines of a part time private school running, is impressive. As long as someone is approaching it like a one-step process to get involved they will always feel it is hopelessly disorganized, however if you approach it like you are signing up your child and also becoming a teacher of a private school when the school year has already started, you might approach it with a little bit more patience and expectation that it will take a little time to get up to speed.

This weekend we have a camp (we will just go for the day) that I think will be a lot of fun. The boys will learn to fish, and the fire department from post will come and do a big fire display (and put it out). We will bring our camping gear even if just for the day, so we have a home base. We stocked up on camping gear while in the states knowing we'd be needing it for events like these. I am looking forward to when we can bring our dog along on these events too! :)

Next year Youngest can start girl scouts! Oh my!!

Puppy is Paid For!

Another good news update....we are getting a full refund (officially found out this morning!) on a leather recliner that we bought (but hasn't been delivered due to manufacturer issues) last spring. With this refund plus what we've been saving (from selling items) we now have more than enough in our puppy fund (and he hasn't been born yet!) plus some extra for some computer updates/new laptop that DH is thinking about. Yay! Now I can be financially stress-free while going through the new puppy training learning curve.

So now on to some fun stuff like what to name this puppy! As we are likely going to have a boy, and he is German, I am looking at German boy names. I am taking votes! I have thrown a few others in which are not necessarily German but I just like, so here we go:

Charlie (manly)
Derry (red haired...this is if our dog comes out on the darker spectrum which I think is unlikely)
Dewitt (blonde)
Edmund (prosperous protector)
Emerson (brave and powerful)
Ferdie (courageous traveler)
Freddie/Frederick (peaceful ruler)
Gregor (on the watch)
Hanz (gift from God)
Henri/Henry (rules the home)
Hugo
Bailey (girl name?)
Beethoven
Zelig (blessed one)
Wilson (family name)
Raimond/Ramon/Raymond (guards wisely)
Max - short for Maximillian (the greatest)
Petie/Petey/Pete (the kids favorite from Little Rascals)
Manfred (man of peace)
Johann (God's gracious gift)
Keegan (intelligent)
Kelby/Koby/Kolby (dark haired - I think I like this better than Derry if on the darker haired spectrum)

And if its a girl I will be torn between Liesel and Bailey.

Also I think the breeder will name them all with B names as this is her 2nd litter. If so we will consider the name already given. Any other ideas?

Puppy Layette

I just about have our puppy "layette" complete. Next week we are dog sitting and we should also hear that the puppies have been born! I'm sure it will be a quick 8 weeks after that, and our mail has been taking SOOOOO long to get here, so I decided to get on with the planning. Who knew a puppy needed so much?

Large crate - free from a friend! Yay! Should be big enough for a full grown Golden but we'll see, at least we have time on that!
Small traveling crate - also free from a friend but we might need a bigger one. I don't think it will last long beyond the first drive home! We got it when we thought we'd have a Jack Russell (said JR is now living on a ranch in Montana BTW!)
6 foot leather lead
6 foot nylon lead
4 foot nylon lead
Flexi lead
3 nylon collars - small through large (this year will go by quick!)
Small, medium and large Kong puppy chew toys
Kong ball
Nylabone hollow chew toy (to stuff treats with)
Cesar millan ball/bone stuffable chew toy
20 foot training lead
50 foot training lead
Leather steady tab (most expensive purchase but worth it for the first year) aka "grab tab" or "collar tab"
Potty training "piddle pads"
MilkBone puppy treats
Earwash
Tearless puppy shampoo (my friend has a "recipe" for future use but I got a good sale of 3 for 1 from Puritan's Pride on many of these things!)
4 different grooming brush/combs
Nail clippers/file
Bitter Yuck! no chew spray
Grooming Spray
Waterless Bath
No Tangles Spray
2 stainless steel dishes
Pooper Scooper for walks (neat thing that you put the bag around so you don't have to feel the poop!)
Bio bags
Enzymatic cleaner

So I just need a yard pooper scooper or else we will use the other one, larger travel crate, stuffed animals the kids are willing to donate for "litter mates" in the crate, more puppy treats, chew treats and dog food! We also will get a bag of food from the breeder which is good since the puppy will be used to that food so we will need to gradually replace it with the kind we can find at the commissary (since in the long run this dog comes to America...can't keep feeding him German dog food!). I am also thinking of getting a clicker for training but I am not sure yet as the breeder can also give us some whistles that mean different things (but are more useful for long range stuff in hunting!). I also heard of making another tool for a sound that means "no" or else use "eh!" but the books say not to have the "no" be associated with the master....so make the noise something other than from yourself and don't make eye contact when doing it. (this way they only associate their master with positive things).

Anyway....that's where we're at for now! :)

Adding to the Family

We are expecting!! A new puppy that is! I began seriously dog searching in August. We'd been thinking about having a dog for years....maybe when the kids are older...maybe when Eldest is old enough to "do the work" which I am now learning is not necessarily the right attitude. He was the one to decide a cat would be easier than a dog, but if you've read the previous posts you know how that turned out! I think the kids would do better with a creature that wants as much love as they want to give it, and also one that gives back a little more than a cat does. ;)

The funny thing is that since we've settled here, a neighbor cat has "adopted" us. I wasn't sure she had a home but asked my neighbor who said her name is Samurai, and that her owners have 6 cats who they let wander! This is typical of German cats though, as they are not meant to be kept indoors. Samurai has already brought us 3 mice and a bird (today was a bird!) Ewww. DH is not happy about Samurai being allowed inside and so we're trying to limit her to the sunroom. We don't feed her, and I sure hope there isn't a law against neighbors letting cats in. She is pretty insistent! (the other day she was following me around the house on the outside and was at every window of every room I was in....Yikes!!!!)

Anyway, all of this might change soon. I'd been thinking that after we got settled and my mom and brother visited that we'd begin the search for a dog. Initially I thought an older (but still young), already housetrained dog would be the best. Possibly a Golden or Labrador Retriever. I also researched Jack Russells. Beagles, Goldendoodles, Bichon Frise and almost anything that came up as a good family dog. We met a 4 year old black lab, but realized quickly that he didn't connect emotionally with anyone, not even his owner (2nd owner). Upon reading more I realized that he has alpha dog tendencies probably from minimal training. I don't think he would ever hurt anyone, but what is the point of having a dog who doesn't connect? Just to give the dog a home? No...I'd rather have a companion! A little bit more of a two-way relationship!

I would see some good dogs come and go quickly on our local yardsale websites which would be very disheartening. Then I met a friend's Jack Russell puppy and got really excited, however I took the time to read a $5 Kindle book on JRs and realized sadly that it would be too much for our family with young kids and lack of dog training experience.

So my search sent me back around to Golden Retrievers...and then I had to learn who the scammers were on the yardsale sites targeting impressionable Americans in Germany. I also found a "pet finding" service who is probably legit, but might not have the most healthy of dogs. They had 2 litters that I could go look at immediately, but I was not ready to jump and something in me was not sure I should fully trust the situation.

Who could resist?

I also contacted our local "tierheim" (animal shelter) and told them what we were looking for, lack of experience and ages of our kids. They said they didn't have anything for us but directed me to the "Retriever und Freunde," who also said that because their dogs have been abused or not well trained to begin with, would not be a good fit for our family, and although expensive, well worth it to go with a reputable breeder. This was comforting to me as I hear so much about rescuing a dog and "not being picky about pedigree papers" as well as mixed breeds being healthier than purebreeds. Obviously there are different schools of thought, and different situations for different families (also depends on where you are in the world!!)

I did my research on the breed standards in Germany, and found a website that lists Golden Retriever breeders. I found one an hour away (closest one) with a nice website, and sent an email. I had to use Google translate to figure out what her website said, and learned that her dog was in heat (this was in early August). She emailed back saying that she wants to meet interested families first, but that she doesn't speak much English, but to call her to set up a meeting. Wow...well....how would that work then? I can speak a very little bit of German but maybe not enough for a phone discussion like that where there could  be more questions! :) So I asked my friend who can speak fluent German, if she would be willing to make the appointment and come with us. What a HUGE favor she did for us!! We were able to go meet with the breeder last Sunday. My friend and her hubby came along and also used the day to head up earlier and explore the area as both of our families are mentally preparing for a move to that area when the Army tells us its time to go (the posts here are closing down soon).

When we walked in we met the breeder and her two dogs, both female (one mom and one daughter) and it is the mother who is pregnant with her 2nd litter. This is her 2nd and last, and then the breeder may continue with the daughter dog later. My heart skipped a beat when she said she is pregnant! And she is due in two weeks! Also since I made the decision to go with this breed I got two books from the library, read through them, and ordered two more books on Amazon and am almost done with the 4th. I decided to order one of the library books which is on its way from Thriftbooks.com and then am waiting on a specific book on Golden Retriever puppy training from Amazon again. Am I a prepared nut or what? :)

I just realized that what I really want is best found in getting a puppy and training him or her ourselves. This is going to be quite an adventure but I am very excited about it. The kids are easy - they would have liked to take any dog or puppy home that we said yes to. They also love the idea of having an "Air Buddy" as we have really enjoyed the Air Bud movies for years without the intention of having one of our own! Of course they love Marley and Me too (even if some parts are questionable for young eyes!) though he's a lab of course - and also was part of what made Eldest decide that a dog would be too hard. LOL!!

So, the next step is to keep saving money (I don't even want to tell you how much for fear of getting mean comments!!) but is less than what I found on an American breeder site. The breeder will let us know when the puppies are here, and we can visit after they are 15 days old. Between 2-8 weeks she will be looking at their personalities and finding the right one for us. We want one that is not too dominating and not too shy. We are not as concerned with gender as we are with temperament. She said most people are wanting a female, so since we are not picky we may end up with a male. She has more people interested than she will have puppies (she's not sure how many puppies yet...not more than 5) but it sounds like we passed the interview and she will let us have one! Part of me is holding my breath though in case she decides our kids are too young or that she would be too sad to have us move him back to the states with us eventually. She had a sad expression when I said that we would take him back to the states with us, which was the right answer of course, but she likes to visit her puppies in their new homes. She admitted she would be sad, but that it would be okay, and perhaps she would visit us in the states sometime. She was very serious in her interview (which is to be expected from a good breeder but also with the added element of German seriousness about dogs!! But then she added that we must have fun with our puppy....oh dear, am I being too serious now??? LOL!!

DH got excited when she said that we must be careful with the kids toys - not only that the toys would get chewed up if laying around, but that the dog could choke. This was what sold DH on the idea more than anything, though he said he was very impressed with the dogs and the whole interview, seriousness of the process and how much help the breeder gives with a whole notebook of resources and suggested daily schedule (auf Deutsch of course!).

So, I hope that everything works out. I found the breeder a little bit hard to read, but then again this is Germany and they take their dog owning very seriously! We will also need to get signed up with dog insurance, which our friends have information for us about.

More to come on all of this! :)

Update

Well by dinner time of day 3 I was over it. The 17-day diet is TOOOOO HARD!!! Not hard to follow but hard to DO. I think I just needed that kick in the pants to get disciplined again to follow my trusty old eDiets plans I have saved. So, that is the plan now. I know I know.....

I am reporting my food to my friend daily, and have to tell her anything I eat (and calories of it) that is not on my plan. That way I think about it more to before I do it. At least this way I can eat some bread again. I still have the 17-day hardback copy on its way to me so I think I will still use the recipes in there.

What I want is a new wardrobe of workout clothes. Something I can wear to run errands but also exercise in. This should be my daily wardrobe! But I have this idea that I need to lose more weight before I can buy more. Is that totally backwards? I still have $75 in gift cards to Nordstrom from my birthday. Maybe I'll see what they have! Money is tight this year so I don't need to go spend hundreds of dollars on workout clothes! And yet I do....ahhh.