My Stella

Today can't go fast enough.

Tonight, my husband and I will bring home the newest member of our family, our new little puppy, Stella.

After finding Otis last month, we haven't had much time to go looking for a dog, so the whole dog-finding thing kind of got put on the back burner. But on Thursday night, we were out and about, and I suggested going to the pet store to take another look and get us back in dog-finding mode.

I half expected to see Otis still there, jumping up and down with joy to see us back again. He was gone, however, and I hope he's found a good home where he's well loved. What we did find, however, were four cute little Boston Terrier puppies. We took one out and played with her, and immediately, she began jumping and nipping at us. The pet store folks explained that she's teething and is likely to nip for awhile, and once they gave her a pig's ear to chew, she left our toes alone, but she was still a little jumpy for our taste. Still, she was cute enough for me to name her (Ora -- which I don't think is an actual name, but my friend English Kari named her car Ora, and this dog looked like an Ora to me), and once we got home and read up on the breed, we thought a Boston would be a good fit for our lifestyle.

The next day, I went back to the store by myself and took out a male from the same litter. He was a little nippy but not quite as bad; he even crawled into my lap and chewed on a bone for awhile. Eagerly, I told my husband about this new little Otis, and the next day, bought our Otis-to-be a toy when I was out shopping. Unfortunately, my husband didn't have an opportunity to go see the dog until Saturday afternoon, and by that time, he had been sold. We played with another of the girls, but we just didn't get that "this is my dog" feeling.

I was depressed. I had really liked this little Otis. But he wasn't meant to be my dog. Yesterday, I found out why.

After a trip to another store to see some other Bostons from the same litter as Otis and Ora, we were both feeling dejected. We were willing to deal with some of the puppy tendencies, like the chewing, but we just hadn't met that perfect dog yet, the one who looked into our eyes as if to say, "I am your dog. Take me home and love me."

On a whim, we stopped at a different pet store, where we remembered seeing a Boston terrier a few days before. When they brought her out to us, she was so scared that she was shaking. So I petted her and let her sniff and lick my hand, and she didn't even try to nibble it. In fact, she didn't nip at all; she was the perfect little lady of only 4.5 lbs. We played a little ball with her, and when she tired of that, she began whimpering for the pet store employee to pick her up. I picked her up and put her in my lap and petted her, and soon, she had fallen asleep.

I looked at my husband and said, "I think this is our dog." He agreed; her personality was so much better than any other dog we'd seen. I knew he was nervous about agreeing to buy her -- it is a big decision, after all, and all that puppy love doesn't come cheap, either -- but in the end, he couldn't deny that we wouldn't find a better dog than this little girl.

We put down a deposit, and tonight, we bring her home. It took awhile, but we finally agreed on a name for her -- Stella. I've already laid out a blanket for her, with the little toy I bought the other day. By the time she arrives, she'll also have a crate and some other toys waiting for her.

I hope she's happy with us. Like my husband, I'm a little nervous about bringing home a puppy for the first time. I'm sure we have some challenges ahead as we get to know her and begin to train her. But we'll get through it, because we're a family now.