Riley

The story of how our little Riley joined our family ...

Eric and I love dogs and have been waiting for the day when we live in a house or even an apartment with a small yard so we can adopt. Well, we're not very patient and that day came a little sooner than expected ... and we haven't left our 3rd story apartment in the heart of Pasadena.

We were only supposed to look. Yes, we actually thought we could go to the humane society and look at all the pairs of big, pleading eyes begging you to take them home and leave empty-handed. At first, we did look. There were small dogs, big dogs, old dogs, and young dogs. I longingly looked at the big dogs, but knew we had to get a little one to accomodate our living space. "No chihuahas." That was my one rule. "No yippers." Oh ya, there was a second. "No jumpers." Okay, I had three. I've never been a little dog fan, so I wasn't sure this would work. There was only one small dog breed I knew I liked for sure: Welsh Corgis. I had once seen one tied up outside the grocery store and I almost snatched him. He was the cutest thing I had ever seen. So anyway ...

We're walking ... walking ... and there he was. A little red puppy with big brown eyes and the hugest ears you've ever seen. I looked at the sign: Chihuaha/Corgi mix ~ 5 months. How ironic. Half an hour later, he was officially ours.

Not a LOT of thought went into this adoption and it wasn't an easy ride for me. Potty training a dog in an apartment where one must walk down several halls, ride an elevator, and walk down one more hall before even reaching the lobby to go outside is not an easy task. But we managed. And yes, he is now potty trained (knock on wood). We've also lost a number of items to his chewing little teeth ... socks, underwear, computer cords, sandals ... and yet, seeing a tiny dog with an entire roll of toilet paper in his mouth as he trots through the house is rather endearing. If it weren't for my extremely patient and calm husband, I might have put Riley in a box on the side of the road with a "free" sign a few times, but as of late, he is becoming quite the nice little dog. He sits, lays down, stays, and fetches. He also loves to play with Steve (our cat) and cuddle up with us on the couch. He's a keeper; quirks and all!

Stay tuned for more Riley stories and hopefully some pictures ...

~ Heidi