Mr. Oliver

I need to introduce you to the newest member of our family.  This little guy has been with us for only one short day and already has our hearts wrapped around his little paw.

Meet Mr. Oliver.

Mr. Oliver Walunas is a standard poodle, just 8 weeks old such a sweet, smart little puppy.  We planned to meet the breeder to "look" at her puppies.  She had a litter of 9 and they were ready to find homes.  We drove to a farm in Stevenson, WA where we met Oliver and his 6 sisters and 1 brother {one had already been taken} and his mom and dad.  They were all beautiful.  They were all beautiful and excited to see us.  Everyone but Oliver, that is.  Ollie had found a favorite spot next to the house and some trees where he could hide his face and get some shade.  He stayed there.  While his sisters and brothers paraded around showing us their best tricks and coolest toys Ollie lay in the shade ignoring everyone around him.  We played with the others, but continued asking about the sweet boy in the corner.  We finally walked over and picked him up to check out his white tummy and sweet demeanor.  Ben sat him on the ground and told me to call him.  I called and he walked in the opposite direction.  A walk that would remind you of Eyor saying, "it doesn't matter".  While I worried that he didn't like us quite yet we were certain this was the little man we wanted to join our family.  "He'll warm up" Ben said.

And he did.

As we drove away we snapped our first family photo.  He wasn't sure if he should smile yet.

 He soon became comfortable on my lap

 And fell right to sleep.

We took him to dinner at the the farm de Walunas hoping he would feel right at home.  He was a hit with the family!  He got more scratches and loves than one puppy could ever dream of.

He was in dog heaven - all the attention put him right to sleep.

 I couldn't decided if the llama's thought he was dinner or a new friend, but they followed Mr. Oliver up and down the fence-line checking out this new addition.

After dinner we drove home ready to set up Mr. Oliver's new bed and give him a bath. {He had a serious farm smell.}  We weren't 5 miles down the freeway before he threw up everything he ate that day.  Maybe a little too much car ride for one day!  We handled it like dog parent pros though.  We pulled over, cleaned the yuckiness and went on with our car ride home.  After making his stomach feel better he was ready to play... Not in the car Ollie.

He is adjusting to his new home perfectly.  He is such a cuddle bug.  He will climb right onto our laps and snuggle his face. {That will be fun when he is 50 lbs!!}.  We successfully traumatized with a bath, but he now smells so fresh and so clean clean. He only whined a couple times throughout the night and we went outside to "do some business".  He hasn't had any accidents in the house, yet, and when he successfully gets his business done outside he will come right to you wagging his tail because he knows he is going to get praise for being so smart.

His favorite place to stand is RIGHT NEXT to or in between your feet and I have already stomped him a couple times, forgetting this cute boy is right there.  We are all learning.

He is adjusting to working from home like a pro and falls asleep right under my desk.  It melts my heart.

Ben sure loves this little guy and even came home from work at lunch today to see us him!! Oliver follows Ben around like a little shadow.  It is the cutest thing I have ever seen.  They are sure to be best buds.

We are so exited to have him with us!  And his hypo-allergenic-non-shedding hair is a definite plus to having this hairy monster around.  As we were heading to bed last night Ben said, "This is a great start to your birthday week!"  I would have to concur, a great start indeed!
Welcome to the family Mr. Oliver!