Tuesday, October 31, 2017

No Tricks This Year- Just a Very Special Treat!!!



Hello, Friends!

I have a very special surprise for you this
Happy Hallo-wiener Holiday Night!

I'd like to introduce you to our new dog,

Gunner James Walters!


I know this isn't the best picture ever, but it was taken on Gunner's first night at our house so I wanted to use it in this post.


The Story of How Gunner Came Into Our Lives

In August, we began thinking and talking about getting a Dachshund.  Our veterinarian gave us the name of Theresa, who is a dachshund breeder in our area.  About a month later, we decided to call her just to see if she had any puppies or if she was going to have any puppies anytime soon.  Theresa said that she had an 8 month old long hair miniature dachshund named Gunner who needed a home.  We weren't sure if this would work out or not, because my Dad has a lot of allergies.  Long-hair dogs make them worse than short hair dogs, but we decided we would go ahead and meet Gunner.

Even though we were going to meet Gunner, my Dad said that we couldn't just fall in love with him instantly.  We would need to see how things went before we could make a decision.  I wanted to take pictures of him, but my Mom said we should wait until we knew if he was going to be ours or not.  I know me quite well and knew that I would fall in love with Gunner and would be sad if it wasn't going to work out, so I stayed upstairs while my parents met him.  If my Dad was instantly itchy and got a stuffed up nose, we would know it wasn't going to work and I wouldn't meet Gunner.  

It was a loooong 40 minutes, while Theresa and Gunner got to know my Mom and Dad better.  Finally, my mom came upstairs with pictures on her phone, to show me Gunner.  She told me how beautiful Gunner was and what sweet and wonderful personality he had.  She also said I had to come down and meet Gunner!  I didn't have to hear that twice before I headed downstairs!  

I remember holding Gunner for the first time as clear as a bell.  
He gave me kisses!  
Theresa said how rare this was for Gunner.  He is very shy and timid.
He was even more gorgeous in person than he was in the pictures on my Mom's phone.  In fact, the three of us told him over and over during that first meeting how beautiful he was!

Gunner is an English Cream Miniature Dachshund.  This kind of Dachshund is much more rare than the red or black and tan dogs that most people thing of when they think of Doxies.  Gunner's family is quite distinguished.  His relatives lived in Canada before they were adopted by Theresa in the United States.  
His Great-Great-Great-Great Grandpa was the Grand Champion at a dog show in Canada that is similar to our Westminster Dog Show in the US.  Gunner definitely has show dog blood in him!  He walks with the same gate as the dogs in the dog shows walk!  He also holds his tail out to a point just like show dogs!  I always wondered how they trained dogs to do that!  Now I know some of them are born that way!  

Dogs like Gunner are not cheap if you have purchase one.  It would be a bargain to get a Cream for $3,000.  Most of them cost at least $5,000.  Thankfully for us, Theresa was willing to give Gunner to us as long as we were willing to give him a good home!  I had seen cream doxies on Pinterest and always thought they were gorgeous, but knew how costly they were and figured I would never be able to own one.  Thanks to Theresa, we now have this gorgeous dog as our family pet.  (I'm only telling you this so you know I have not recently won the lottery to be able to afford this dog!)  While Gunner is gorgeous, his wonderful personality far outshines his looks.  

Needless to say, our first visit went well!  We set up more visits with Theresa and Gunner throughout September to see how he liked us and how my Dad's allergies handled a long-hair puppy.  My Dad does get a little itchy with Gunner, but decided it was worth it to have this wonderful dog in our family!

Remember when my Dad said that we couldn't just fall in love with Gunner instantly?  After our first meeting, it was obvious that my Dad was smitten with this little puppy so I asked him, "When did you fall in love with Gunner?"

"When I saw him on the front porch."
was his answer.

It's clearly much easier to be reasonable before 
you've met that wonderful little ball of joy than after!

On Monday, September 25th, Gunner came for what was supposed to be a three or four day visit.  Those first few days were pretty hard for Gunner.  He obviously missed Theresa and all the other dachshunds that he lived with, including his sister Lilee (pronounced Lily).  We all decided that it would be too hard on him to go back and forth between homes a few more times like we had originally planned.  We didn't know it at the time, but on that Monday night, Gunner had found a forever home and a life with another wiener dog began.  

Gunner is his own dog.  He is not a replacement for Frankfurter.  Frankfurter was one-of-a-kind and can never be replaced.  We all still miss Frank every moment of every day.  We still shed tears when we remember Frank because he was so special to each of us.  With Gunner, our hearts have grown to love another dog.  Our love has not changed for Frank, except possibly that we continue to love him and appreciate him more and more each day.  

You may be wondering why I didn't tell you about Gunner a month ago!  Because of my Dad's allergies, I've been very afraid during this whole time that something was going to happen and we would have to give him back to Theresa.  As hard as that was going to be, I knew it would be even more heartbreaking to have to post that Gunner was not going to get to be our dog after all.  So, I waited until after we were sure my Dad would be okay with him and his first vet visit to make sure he was okay before I made the big announcement.  Please don't have your feelings hurt that I kept this a secret for so long.  I just wanted to be absolutely, positively sure that this was all going to work out.   

Because this post is already soooo long, I'll end for now and tell you more about Gunner soon.  I'll share more pictures with you then, too!

Now you know why I haven't been posting many cards, though!  One of the few things better than stamping is holding a puppy!

Happy Stamping from Gunner and I!


I used the following products to make Gunner's Adoption Announcement:

Critters at the Dog Park, Happy Howloween and Little Bundle Stamp Sets by Lawn Fawn
Happy Howloween Lawn Cuts Dies by Lawn Fawn
Skinny Mini Party Borders Dies by Taylored Expressions
Blueprints 27 Die-namics by My Favorite Things
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad by Tsukineko
Copic Markers
Cornflower Dye Ink Pad by My Favorite Things
Solar White Card Stock by Neenah
Real Red, Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight Card Stock by Stampin' Up
Blue Breeze and Cornflower Card Stock by My Favorite Things
Scotch Foam Tape by 3M
MISTI by My Sweet Petunia





5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What can I say but HOT DOG!!!!!! I am so happy for you and your family and the little one.

Chris R. from Iowa

Janis said...

Absolutely THRILLED to read this post, Angela!!

Gunner is GORGEOUS!!! Congratulations to you and your folks on this new addition....and congratulations to Gunner on his new home where he will be cherished and loved forever!! Love your adorable doggie adoption card!!!
<3 J

jwoolbright at gmail dot com
HerPeacefulGarden.blogspot.com

Darnell said...

Adorable card, Angela! I'm so happy that Gunner owns you and your parents now! He and Theresa made a great choice and I'm glad your Dad's allergies weren't blown up by this handsome fellow! I'm also glad to know this is the reason you took a break; I was afraid you were not well. I'm delighted to know you are MORE than well! Enjoy every moment with your new bundle of love! Hugs, Darnell

Unknown said...

Congratulations Angela!! That is so great to hear your story about Gunner. I am so happy for you and your family with your new addition. We thought about another dog after Ruby died but we're just not ready to be tied down right now, but I think that is GREAT for y'all! ...and he looks totally different from Frank so that is a good thing! Looking forward to hearing more about him in the future! Wishing you all the best! Pam

Cindy O said...

That's such wonderful news! I know Gunner has found a wonderful home with you. Love your Hallo-weiner announcement card!

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