Christmas Break, plus one

So some of you may wonder why I haven't had the time to send out holiday cards. The reason for this is quite simple: Charlie. As soon as my break began last Thursday, I have inherited a friend to stay at my houise until a certain man in red came to visit my sister's.

I must say that the whole thing was a learning experience for me, as I am 100% sure that I do not need a puppy at this time in my life. Charlie is 13 weeks old & pure puppy. My sister decided on a Labradoodle for its hypoallergenic reasons. However, after meeting her furry friend briefly from the breeder on Thanksgiving vacation, Charlie has gotten quite a bit bigger. His paws are huge & he is already bigger than Casey ever was. He has to be at least 30-35 pounds already.

At any rate, the last couple of days have had me trying to teach him to walk down stairs (he goes up, but refuses to go down), trying to get him to lead on the leash & daily walks, & trying to keep him away from my Christmas tree. Finally, after he had eaten most of the ornaments off of the bottom of my tree in my bedroom, I succumbed to his desires & just accepted the unevitable.

I miss Casey especially this time of year, when I am home a bit more over the quick break. However, after 4 days with a puppy, I believe that a young, housebroken, trained, nuetered, shelter dog is the way to go for me.