there is a dog in my dining room

I am not a dog person. Growing up, we never had a dog. Our pets consisted of the occasional fish, a hamster, a cat that came-and-went, and, briefly, a mouse. My parents are not pet people. Currently they've reluctantly got a slightly feral cat that pretty much lives independently except for a bowl of wet food here and there. It wasn't until Pumpkin came along that I was really invited into the pet ownership world. Even though we've bonded and I love her dearly, she still gets a little needy for my tastes.

Chris has wanted a dog. He grew up with dogs. And cats- he's a regular pet-loving guy. Everyone gets a scratch on the head when he's around. Children included, haha.

So we now have a dog.
The story is a bit fateful. He has wanted this particular type of dog- a Belgian Malinois- since he's been home. With everything that we've had going on lately, it's been easy to keep the status quo and avoid getting a dog. Especially since they cost quite a bit. I've only had pets that were strays or very low-cost, so I'm reluctant to pay hundreds of dollars for an animal.

Friday night, we happened to have our old neighbors over for dinner. Casually in conversation, Elena mentioned that they got a new dog. A dog that they thought was a German Shepherd when they got it from the SPCA. When she said it turned out to be a Belgian Malinois (clearly mixed with something else, but clearly part Malinois), I told her that Chris was going to be SO jealous when we told him. He reacted about how I expected.

What I absolutely did NOT expect was for Mike to offer us the dog on the spot. Huh? Apparently this new dog wasn't fitting into their family how they expected. She wasn't a bad dog, they just wanted something a little different. Not many details and 24 hours later, I've been thrust into the world of dog ownership and she's been thrust into our family.

She is a sweet dog- a puppy, really. Around 10 months old, potty and crate trained, fixed, shots, etc. Full disclosure, she smells like a dog. A bath will be happening shortly. She does not lick or slobber or jump or bark- so far. She's still shy and getting used to us. Overall, I think she might be a good fit and we can slowly get used to each other. I've met too many dogs that are little shitheads, and that adds to why I do not particularly enjoy them. I definitely need a well-trained, well-behaved dog if this is going to happen.

I know there are different levels of dog people- from those that let their dogs have free reign and even sleep with them, to those that have strictly outside animals. From the moment Chris suggested a dog years ago, I originally insisted on a strictly outside dog. In an more realistic world, the dog will probably venture inside, but only on the tile and hardwood, and certainly not on furniture-- at least not without a blanket or something. Chris is much too protective of his beige microfiber couch to allow that anyway.

We will see what happens and how we all adjust. I really hope that this turns out to be a good fit for everyone.

P.S. Pumpkin is Pumpkin and is not enthusiastic about the new addition, and so far they've limited their interaction to mere observation. She spent most of the night peering around the corner checking her out.

P.P.S. I went SHOPPING yesterday! You can see the goods on the floor. More on that later.