Photo 356/365, four new feet

When we adopted Iris seven years ago she fulfilled my dream of rescuing another Dalmatian. She was three years old, and with two older dogs and a young child, she was the perfect addition to our family at that time. But as perfect as she was (and still is!), I've always had another dream of bringing home a puppy when Calvin was the right age to enjoy, help with, and really appreciate the experience. At the beginning of 2018 we decided that this year was the sweet spot—the time when Calvin would old enough, but not too old—and we made a list of desirable breeds or breed mixes that included, amongst others, Dalmatians (because of course), spaniels, Border Collies, and Australian Shepherds because we wanted a dog that would be smart and energetic.

(Un?)fortunately, the year was full of events and short trips (the kind that are fine with a dog, but hard with a puppy) and though we carefully watched available male puppies that came through our Humane Society, our at-home dates never lined up with the breeds we were looking for. Until this week. This week a litter of eight-week-old Australian Shepherd mixes needed homes. We got up at five in the morning to get in line to be sure of getting the puppy we wanted, and came home at lunch time with exactly that.

Meet Gimli, the four new feet in our house for Christmas.

Meet our newest family member, Gimli. He's an Australian Shepherd terrier mix, only eight weeks old, who came home with us from the humane society yesterday.