We are officially insane...or just plain stupid.

Brooklyn has been begging for a cat for years. The answer has always been no.
1. I have fairly severe cat allergies
2. I do not like cats
When we moved to the country we were told we would need to get a cat. Otherwise, we would have mice. I let the advice roll off my back until, less than two weeks of living in the house, we found a live mouse in our basement. Andy and I had some discussions about living arrangements, got some advice from some cat owners, and decided to get a cat. It would live in the basement during the winter and outside during the summer.
We drove to the humane society and surprised Brooklyn with the go-ahead to pick any female cat out of the cat room. She was shocked and so excited! She eventually decided on Velma, whose name was quickly changed to Violet. She was litter trained and already spayed. So far, so good with the cat. I haven't had any allergy issues. The kids are doing a great job keeping the litter box clean. She comes running when the kids go to the basement to visit.
After Brooklyn chose her new friend, I had a blue eyed little boy looking very forlorn. "Why does Brooklyn get a pet and I don't?" We had recently toyed with the idea of getting another dog. I adore Ellie. Although she is not one of my children, she is definitely a favored member of the family. She is my therapy dog. Truthfully, though, she will be 10 in April. She is getting old for a large dog and has had two seizures in the past year. I get panicky thinking of our family without her, but I know it will come eventually. All of this to say, we looked at the dogs and fell in like with Penny the Treeing Walker Coonhound. She was sweet and gentle, got along well with Ellie, and suckered me in with her super soft, long, Ellie-like ears.
Things aren't going nearly as well with "Winnie." We named her after the Winchester brand gun because we're pretty sure she was a hunting dog. She is 3.5 years old and I don't think she's ever been inside. The housebreaking is in its fourth week and we're still having issues. She climbs on my kitchen counters searching for food. She's so skinny! She likes to chase and tackle Isaace when he's running through the room. Isaac thinks it is funny when he's on the carpet...not funny when he's on the tile kitchen floor. I know these are all behavioral issues that can be fixed with training(I hope!) but with three young kids and a new house with no fenced in yard, IN DECEMBER...I don't know what I was thinking!



Poor Xavier got scratched by one of the kitties.