Our New Travelling Companion...

It's been a long time coming, but Shonah finally convinced Todd (the allergic one) to adopt a dog as a travelling companion.  (Honestly though it didn't take much convincing toward the end as the roles were reversed when it came time to sign the adoption papers)  While working in Chicago, neither of us felt it would be fair to adopt a dog there, when we did not have much time to spend with it due to our hectic work/travel schedules.  We began searching for our travelling companion about eight months ago.  Our target was definitely a rescue, an adult of 1 to 2 years, and small in size (15-20 pounds due to our limited living space).  Based on that criteria, we focused our search on a terrier mix with the right disposition (not too wild and crazy).  Well, we looked and looked, not agreeing on any of the dogs we saw until we were at an adoption event in Orlando and when a cute, calm puppy was brought in...  Before anyone else could snatch him up, he was in Todd's arms (for about 2 hours) while Shonah worked out the details, paperwork and payment with the rescue.

Chip is a male whose mother is an Australian Shepherd that got pregnant in a high kill shelter in Alabama before being saved by the no-kill rescue we visited in Orlando.  While we are not sure about Chip's dad, we are thinking that he was probably a Rat Terrier or Jack Russell Terrier based on Chip's look, size, and disposition.  He was approximately 11 weeks old when we adopted him which means that we've been having 'lots of fun' working through all of the house breaking and obedience training that we were hoping to avoid with a 1-2 year old dog.  He's quite smart and is a fast learner, but also has a 'very' independent personality that is definitely testing his position in the household.  He weighed only six pounds when we got him and had small paws, so we were hoping that he'd stay small, but since then he has been slowly growing every day (including the paws, yikes).  It'll be interesting to see if he will meet at least one of our initial goals of less than 15-20 pounds.

While travelling full-time with a dog may present some challenges and could limit where we can go or how much time we need to make a border crossing, we have been enjoying the extra companionship and are willing to work through those challenges.  We are currently residing just outside Titusville, Florida for 7 weeks while Chip is attending Puppy Kindergarten once a week so that his new parents (meaning us) can learn how to teach him and for him to have some fun.  So far, he is enjoying spending time at the doggie park almost every day, going for bike rides in a back pack, but hasn't yet developed a love for the water where he will eventually learn to paddle board with Todd and Shonah.

Todd, Chip and Shonah

Chip at 11 weeks old

 

So cute, we just had to have him...

Chip is quite a good traveler, enjoying time in his special seat up front, though as this picture shows, he (and Todd) sometimes like to nap while driving.
 

Since his first bike ride with Shonah, Chip has gotten very used to riding while in either the front or back positions.

Chip's first experience at the beach went well, if you don't count not liking the water

With somewhat limited space, Todd and Shonah gave up one of their bench seats inside and modified it to become the home for Chip's crate and supplies.



Some of you may recall Shonah and Todd's first dog (also named Chip) who is a Sony AIBO (autonomous robotic dog).  Chip Sr. is currently keeping Todd's parents company back home in Ohio.  We miss him very much.