We Got a Puppy!!

It all started when my parents were talking about getting a puppy… One that we would raise, but they could take over caring for if necessary.  So of course, there was a lot of debate about what kind we should get… Big dog or little dog?  Boy or girl?  Breed?  Color?  All kinds of things to consider!  My parents decided a Yorkie would be the best, but after a potential opportunity to get one fell through, my mom said “You guys pick it!  It’s going to be your dog anyways!” 

So over the weekend, David and I started looking up puppies for sale in the area.  We started with my favorite breed, Cavapoos (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Poodle mix).  One website had some pictures of one, and it was SO CUTE I literally started SOBBING.  Like, FULL ON sobbing.  It was THAT cute (and hormones may have played a small part). 

On Monday, we had several hours to kill before I had to go to work, so David and I decided to go into town, browse around different pet shops, and see what they have. 

I was very excited, because the first store we stopped at had cavapoos!  YAY!  They had 3; two 8-weeks old (brother and sister), and another boy that was 10-weeks old. 

Now, in order for us to make a decision, there are several tests (some official, some we made up) the puppy has to pass in order be considered.

1)  The Nose Test:  You hold the puppy up to your nose.  If it licks it, it’s friendly.  If it looks away from you, it’s probably not very sociable. If it bites it.  Ouch.

2)  The Paw Test:  You gently squeeze the pads of each foot to see how sensitive its feet are.  (Or something like that. I left David in charge of that test, since I wasn’t sure what I was looking for.  But it sounded important).

3)  The Calling Test:  You call the puppy and see if it comes.

4)  The Back Test:  You lay the puppy on its back to see how submissive and/or trusting it is.

5)  The Eye Test:  Check its eyes.  Make sure they blink at the same time, check for any abnormalities or any cloudiness.

There are probably several more tests you can run, but these were the main ones we did. 

Now, pet shopping with David is kind of interesting, because he has something about him that causes animals to gravitate towards him.  It’s the craziest thing!  Whenever we go over to someone’s house that has animals, he somehow manages to end up with all the pets on top of him.

Exhibit A:

Anyways, so the first two cavapoos we looked at, both boys, seemed partial to David.  They’d run to him regardless of who called them.  And one of the boys, the 10-week old, seemed a little, well… slow.  Or like he had the puppy version of ADHD.  He wasn’t terribly sociable (didn’t pass the nose test), and would get distracted whenever we called him.  He’d start walking toward us, but then would be like “OOO!  A FENCE!” and run the opposite direction.  He seemed like he’d be super quirky and cute, but not exactly what we wanted in a puppy. 

So then we met the girl.  She was super sweet, passed all the tests, AND came to both David and me equally, which was an unexpected bonus!  She was social, playful, healthy, trusting… perfect.  And SUPER cute!!!

So we called my mom to let her know, and she gave us permission to go ahead and get her. 🙂  Hoorayyy!!!!!

Then we had the task of trying to pick out a name for the most adorable puppy in the whole wide world (if I do say so myself).  Most of my family’s dogs have had a Greek mythology themed name (a rottweiler named Athena, a Pekingese named Persephone – Persy for short), so I thought of some names along those lines…. And I thought of Penelope, but call her Penny!  And as soon as I said “Penny,” the puppy perked up her ears!  And it seemed so perfect for her!

We considered other names of course too… We thought of World of Warcraft themed names, such as Ysera and Alexstraza… but they didn’t seem quite right.  We thought of Linnielee (a name I made up) and Annie…. But nothing seemed quite as perfect as Penny.  🙂

And we love her so much!!  She is so smart and so sweet!  And so little and cute!!!! 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  OMG, she’s so cute, I can hardly stand it!!!!

My Last Day at Build-a-Bear!

Yesterday, I “celebearated” (haha, get it??) my last day at Build-a-Bear.  Well, celebrated seems a little too happy.  I am very sad to be leaving.  I have worked with some really awesome people, and I am going to miss them immensely!!  They have made working there SO much fun!!

Build-a-Bear is one of those awesome jobs where you can totally goof around, and it’s okay.  Not only is it okay, but it’s encouraged!  I mean, as long as you still pay attention to the guests and you don’t get too out of control!  But in between guests, we’d dance (well, a few of us would, anyways), we’d tell silly stories, we’d joke around with the kids in the store… it was awesome!  Making a fun experience for the guests can become an even FUNNER (I am MAKING that a word) experience for you!  

So, for those of you unaware of the Build-a-Bear experience, I will quickly explain it:  

Step 1) Pick out your bear.  There are several different options of bears, kitties, monkeys, dogs, cartoon characters, etc.  So you pick the one you like the most, and you grab an unstuffed one.

Step 2) Pick out a sound.  Sounds were my favorite thing to sell, and I have no idea why.  But I was really good at it (if I do so say myself) 😛

Step 3) Stuff your bear.  One of the employees helps you stuff your animal, adding more things inside if you want, like a sound, heartbeat, or a scent.  AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL:  A heart.  The heart is SO important, there’s a whole ceremony that goes with it!

Step 4) Wash your bear

Step 5) Pick out clothes/accessories and dress your bear.

Step 6) Make a birth certificate and take it home!  (after you pay, of course)

It’s a really fun process, and the Bear-Builders like to make it as awesome as possible.  And one of the ways this is accomplished is by performing a super cool heart ceremony.  Each employee has their own version, and sometimes we’ll change it up depending on the situation or the guest.  But here is my standard one:

“Okay, so take your heart, hold it tight, and make a BIG wish!  Now hold it up to your head so that wish you’re thinking of goes straight from your brain into the heart!  Now rub it on your head so your animal is SUPER smart.  Rub it on your face, so she is so beautiful, just like you!  Rub it on your nose so she knows you love her!  And jump up and down to get the heart beating!  Now hold it close to your heart so it fills up with love….. and give it a great big kiss!  Yay!  Now put it inside your bear!”  

Of course, this gets changed around… I doubt a little boy would be very interested in his bear being “beautiful.”  😛

And the kids can be so freaking adorable and say the funniest things.  Here are some of the highlights:

(2 brothers ages 4 and 6 are talking about Star Wars)

Me: Darth Vader’s kind of scary, though!

4-year-old:  He’s not scary to me! Be-because, if-if he was gonna hit me with his lightsaber, I’d just run up and kick him in the penis!!!

 

(5-year old girl approaches me to get her bear stuffed)

Me: Hi!  What’s your name?

Girl: Ava.

Mom: No, you’re name’s not Ava.

Girl: Sarah.

Mom: Ava is her zombie-fighting name she uses when she plays with her brothers.

 

(Little girl, about 10-years old, explaining all about her Christianity)

Girl:  I’m a missionary, you know!!

Me: Really? Wow! That’s awesome!!

Girl!  YEAH!  I tell EVERYONE about Jesus!  I’ve converted SO many people!  Like HUNDR—.. Or like… like 1 or 2.

 

So those are just a few of the cute things that have stood out in my memory!  

It has been such a fun job!  And I’m going to miss everyone I’ve gotten the pleasure of working with!  Both in Texas and California!  You all are amazing, and thank you all so much for making it one of the most awesome jobs on the planet!!!  It wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun without such cool people!  

“My bear is special. I brought it to life, I chose it, I stuffed stuffed it, now I’m taking it home.  Best friends are forever! So I promise right now to make my bear my #1 pal!” –The Bear Promise