Gotcha Day!

December 5th is a very special day in the Tommerdahl house :)....it is "Gotcha Day".  One year ago on December 5th we picked up our special little Tucker.  If you haven't heard the story, keep reading. :)

The first time we brought Tucker home

As soon as we moved into our new house (last Halloween), we knew we wanted a dog.  We started looking online at various shelters and reading about each dog and looking at their pictures.  Paul wanted a big hunting dog, and I wanted a medium sized "cuddle" dog, however Paul being the bigger dog-lover, I told him that he could pick the pup :).  Last Thanksgiving, when Paul's parents were here, I came downstairs and Paul and his mom had Tucker's picture up on the screen.  I fell in love with him!

This was the picture of "Sixer" (renamed Tucker) on the website.

He was going to be at a nearby PetSmart on December 5th and I looked at his picture almost daily as I waited to meet him.  Paul filled out the "adopt application" and talked to the gal who would be there with Tucker.  The night before we were to meet him, we went to Walmart and picked out a kennel, a bed, and some toys (including the monkey he still sleeps with every night...well, monkey #3 that is!).

We woke up excited.  The adopt event started at 11 and we wanted to be early.  We got there at 10:30 and already there were tons of people there, all talking about the pup they wanted.  A couple near us mentioned that they were also looking at the same dog as us, and I got REALLY nervous.  About an hour passed as we watched the Homeward Bound crew bring in dogs, a few at a time, and set them up in their kennels in the corner of the store.  We saw Tucker!!!!! He was as cute as ever!!!!  The crowd of people grew thicker and they started pushing in to the puppy corner despite the barricades.  I was so nervous that someone would claim our Tucker before we could, but we weren't technically allowed in the puppy corner yet.  I couldn't stand it!  I left Paul to hold our place in the non-organized "line" and walked around the store, antsy and stressed!  Coming back to the line, I couldn't stand still.  I could see Tucker, only a few feet away, but I couldn't get to him!!!!

Finally they let us in, and we went straight to his kennel.  We immediately traded our license for the chance to walk him around outside.  He was extremely exuberant, loving, and lovable!  We found out that he was a favorite among the shelter staff and he loved everyone and everything!  We also noticed he would need quite a bit of training because he really had no puppy manners :).  We fell in love with him, however, and took him back inside to officially adopt him.

When we got inside, the pet shelter crew told us that another couple was going to take Tucker out next.  We said that we wanted him, so we didn't want anyone else to take him out, but they said it was only fair to give couple #2 a chance.  AAAAAH!  I was so worried!  Paul told the gal that we had already filled out an application, and that the person outside had said we could have him (which she had), so this gal went to consult with someone.  I kept hugging and petting Tucker while Paul told me not to make him look too loveable until he was ours or someone might steal him away from us!  The gal came back and said we could have Tucker!!!!  I told Paul to "QUICK, get everything signed!!!"

One of the Homeward Bound crew gave Tucker a jacket as a going away present because he was one of her favorites.  Others gave him a hug and told us that they loved him and that they were glad he was going to a good home.  We were thrilled to get him!

Santa was at PetSmart that day, so we got our first family picture as a threesome, and it is still on our fridge.  Here is a picture of us taking Tucker home.

As I reminisce about our first year with our pup, I think of the training phase: the 3 months of nighttime crying as he was scared to sleep in his kennel, training him to stay downstairs and off the couch and not to jump on people (that last one is still a work in progress!).

  I remember his first Christmas.

I think of his love of going for walks, his leaping ability,

his enjoyment of playing outside and with other dogs (especially at the dogpark),

  how sweet he is with Summer,

 and his love of just being with us wherever we are or whatever we are doing.  He loves to pick up his bed with his teeth and drag it to whatever part of the room we are in, and plop down right next to us!

 Well, daddy didn't get a big hunting dog like he had hoped....instead he got a quirky dog that is scared to death of a gun shot and forgets to bring back the prize when playing fetch, but is sure full of a lot of love.  I think daddy has a pretty big soft spot for the little Tuckster :)