Dixie & Rose

We arrived home last night with Dixie & Rose, our two new English Springer Spaniel puppies. They're a little younger than I would normally want to separate them from their mom (only 6 weeks), but mom has clearly weaned them and the vet gave the okay.

Yes, they're absolutely adorable! And even after one night we can see their unique personalities. Dixie is the larger of the two and definitely the more dominant. She's also the more vocal (though the 2 in the morning cries to come out and play will get her nowhere). Rose barely makes a peep, but she is very affectionate. She is also pretty adventuresome; after dinner and a successful potty trip outside, Rose came in and decided to explore... everywhere! Her little tail was wagging as she discovered our new home.

Margo and I took the first turn with the pups last night, and we're all following a pretty strict schedule in hopes of early housebreaking. That means setting a timer so we can take them out to the bathroom every two hours. When they're successful, they get to play for a while (which is a hoot) and then it's back in the crate. We ignore about 3-5 minutes of whining, and they fall asleep again. So far, so good.

If you're in the area, please feel free to come on by and meet them this week. Because we have lots of people in our home for all sorts of functions, we're eager for the puppies to meet as many different people as possible so they get used to new folks. (Besides, they're puppies. Cute, adorable, funny, soft, affectionate, lovable puppies. Who can resist?)