Introducing Luna… the newest member of our adventure!
A little out of order, but one of the best things that has happened to us in the last year is the newest addition to this little Carlsbad family… Luna! Luna is a black lab mix rescue pup from California Labs and More. Read more about how we are adjusting to life as puppy owners here!
We have been thinking about getting a little pup for a while, but anyone who knew us last year knows that we had bicoastal traveled planned every 1-2 months! So when traveling settled down a bit this year, we decided to Make It Happen.
Luna (FKA “Cheerio”) is one of a litter of 4. Yes, they are all really siblings. Why do they all look so different you ask? Same mom, different dads. Didn’t think it was possible? Neither did we. Google it.
We were 4th in line for this litter, so we were told we could have whatever pup was left. We thought for sure we would be taking home Chex (no offense, Chex!). But my heart leapt when the foster mom opened the door, and little Cheerio was left! She was the tiniest and most shy of the bunch. We sat on a little blanket outside and she stared at us for a while. We loved her at first sight, but were not quite sure if the feeling was mutual. But the foster mom said that we were the first people she didn’t run away from… so we took that as a good sign!
All of the Mira pups!
We got the opportunity to meet Luna’s brothers (now named Duke and Burton). Her sister Chex was not able to come to the meet up. Luna learned how to dig (thanks, bros!) and how to share sticks. She also dominated her brothers while they were playing…. go Luna!
Backtracking to our first day together, she cuddled up on my lap in the car on the way home, and I was officially in love. The first few days were hard. She was used to sleeping in a crate with her brothers and sisters, and now was in a strange place with… let’s face it… strange people 🙂 She tried to hide underneath the couches and coffee table for the first day or so… but eventually warmed up to use a few days later!
We live on the second floor, so every time that it was time for potty, she was carried down the stairs. Of course it had to be rainy that first weekend! She cried a lot at night, and did not like to be alone. Soooo, not going to lie, her crate was propped up on dining room chairs for the first several nights so that she had a direct line of sight! The things we do for this little pup….
She is a little hard to photograph because her body and eyes are so dark, but trust me when I say she is the cutest! She is your typical puppy with typical puppy behavior, but (knock on wood) we have not lost any clothing or household items to her chewing! Of course, we do have little bite marks on our hands and little holes in our sleeves!
She has grown quite a bit since these photos were taken. She was ~10lbs when we got her and is now almost 30lbs! We have no idea how big she will get, as we do not know exactly what she is mixed with. Just for reference, when she lays across my lap now, she hangs off on either end!
The best dog trainer in the world!
Here is the part where I shout out which one of us has done the most work when it comes to training this little pup of ours. That guy right there! Dave has been amazing with researching puppy training and exhibiting the patience of a saint when she does all of her puppy antics. Raising a puppy is new for both of us, but there is no way that I would have made it up until this point without Dave’s newfound puppy training expertise and his constant reassurance! I have to admit that the frustrations of raising a puppy have gotten the best of me at times.
And boy, does Luna love Dave! Little one cries when he leaves, and gets so excited when he walks in the door after practice! She loves to sit on the couch and put her head on his arm while he is working. Thank you Dave for all of your hard work in making our puppy the greatest ever!
We recently took Luna to a lagoon by our house. The beach out front does not allow dogs, so unfortunately, she has not been able to put her toes in the ocean yet! She was a little unsure of the water, and ended up chasing the waves up and down the beach before diving in. She is good for a few tennis ball fetches in the water before getting super tired. We can’t wait to bring her even more places with us!
We knew she would be a water baby from her very first bath!
Luna is a Carlsbad lacrosse fan! She wears a collar that says “Lax”, and goes to all of the games that I can go to. Dogs aren’t exactly allowed on school property, so we sit outside and try to watch. So far, she hasn’t quite nailed the attentiveness thing, and often times can be found looking the complete opposite direction or chasing a leaf. She has become a fan favorite with the Carlsbad lacrosse family, and she enjoys greeting everyone as they come out of the bleachers.
Luna has been such a good girl, even at the vet! She sits like a champ when she gets all of her shots, and all of the vet techs just love her. Even though I caught her in the above photo looking kind of scared… she rocks it every time! Almost done with those puppy shots, Luna!
This little lady has brought a lot of joy to our lives these last few months, and it has overall been a great experience (even with all of the little messes and frustrations associated with puppy raising). We are so excited to watch her grow, and bring her along on all of our adventures from now on!
Note: All things said about Luna during this blog post were said with her consent. 🙂 She supervised the whole thing from laying on my right arm!
