cute strikes again.

I know I have an addiction to Cute.

It’s made me say yes to goats because – they are so adorable.  (No, Dad.  They don’t produce any tangible product for our family.  They produce happiness.  And cuteness is their commodity.  I find it sufficient.)

I do have the ability to say no, of course.

And we have let our rabbit move on to greener pastures to minimize what animal care we can over here.  (And by greener pastures I simply mean we found a very loving, better equipped, farm family to raise her.)

But I’ve been longing for an inside dog.  A friendly sleeps-in-your-room-at-night kind of canine companion.  A cute one.

I tried, without success, to turn Ringo into an inside pet.  It just didn’t stick.  (And I also tried to take him to a groomer.  A groomer who told me my dog needs the flu vaccine before she would groom him.  The flu vaccine, you guys!)  Needless to say, Ringo hasn’t been groomed, hasn’t received a flu vaccine and hasn’t been sleeping inside.

I dreamed of a cute dog who didn’t shed and was just the right kind of funky for our house.

And then we received this miracle of a gift in an offer of a puppy.

We love him.

He loves us.

He sleeps inside.  He was born in Virginia so that makes him nearly perfect. His ears are so cute – his face is irresistible. He has been pampered and coddled and trained to sit and  to shake already – he’s working on an adorable command to “pray” right now.

Love of this puppy has literally had us watching dog training videos and listening to podcasts about dog training.

London seems the most committed so far to his correct upbringing.  All of the kids willingly take turns taking him out for runs, cleaning up his pee and feeding him and training him.

He’s a little Keigley already.

We named him Ryder after more name debate and name suggestions than should possibly be legal to endure.

On car rides he has already acquainted himself with car sickness.  And Mosely has won the prize for literally catching said vomit in a bowl.

He ran on our weekly run.  (But rested his cute little weary legs a lot.)  He even visited our favorite local pizza restaurant with us.

He sleeps.  He eats.  He chews on the edges of Piper’s skirts.  He sleeps inside and he loves toilet paper rolls more than anything else in creation.

Ryder is a happy little addition and I love how he is now included in the kids’ prayers every evening before bed.