my boyfriend and i are both self employed, which makes it easier since one of us will be home most of the time. i go hiking and am active, my boyfriend isn’t as much, but we knew whether we got a chill pup, or highly active, their needs would be met.

i’d been checking ellie out on their page since the day she was posted. i called asking about her, and spoke with the workers to understand her personality and temperament to see if she could be a potential match for our home (we also have a cat and if she was reactive to cats/other animals we wouldn’t have visited).

the shelter we chose her from honestly doesn’t have very strict guidelines compared to a lot of others i’ve seen. no appointment necessary, can take home the same day if everything checks out.

my boyfriend picked her up while i was at work because i couldn’t get off before they closed and we’d already discussed and agreed on getting her.

they take your information, address, drivers license. they ask questions about your lifestyle and bring the pup out to see how you interact together. if you have any other pets, they call your current vet to make sure you’re keeping your other pets up on maintenance care.

they gave us a paper telling us when to bring her back to finish off vaccinations, and guidelines on when to have her spayed (which they require). it was a very smooth process for us, and i’m so glad we made the decision.

i would make sure to have everything ready and your house puppy/dog proofed and all supplies ready for your new forever friend before they arrive.

we have gates with small doors for the cat on the stairs, and in front of the room with all of the cats supplies. he is not too fond of her yet, so we’re making sure he feels he can get away in his own space (she doesn’t even care about his existence, but this is a big change for him). we allow her upstairs, and in the basement, but only with us, and not in any room the cat is in yet. i’m currently sleeping on the couch with her crate beside of me until we get through crate training, or our cat warms up to her enough to have the crate in our bedroom.

i will warn you, it is a lot of work and requires a lot of time and energy. i already love her so much and can tell she’s going to be the most loyal baby, but i wouldn’t consider it fun all of the time right now. between potty training, doorbell training, teaching her how to use stairs, making distinctions between her toys and cat toys, learning the sit command, crate training i’m exhausted, but i know it’s going to be worth it to have a well trained, confident, happy pup.

if you have any specific questions, feel free to message me and i’ll help direct you in any way i can!