Just in case I ever needed more proof that my husband really loves me, he gave me the perfect early Christmas present: an 8-week old beagle puppy. We got our new baby Snoopi almost two weeks ago, and she is so fun and cute! Even Steve, who had to be persuasively talked into the idea of a dog, has found her too adorable to resist. He's started taking her on walks, which at first really terrified her, but now she's starting to like them (especially if they run into other people who will fuss over how cute she is - she's such a show off). We brought her to a puppy playdate with Steve's brother Dave and his wife Aspen and their two dogs. She loved Dave and Aspen but was a little timid around Bart and Ruby. She starts puppy obedience classes tomorrow morning though, so hopefully that
will help her feel more comfortable around other dogs. She seems to be really smart and easy to train. She's been pretty good with housetraining, and she likes to sleep in her crate. Her favorite toy is a little squeeky stuffed raccoon that I bought her because I want her to start practicing scaring away the raccoons we sometimes see in our yard (they terrify me!). You can tell she has a beagle's hunting instincts because she definitely treats her toy like it's prey. She will do this funny army crawl under our coffee table and lie there for a minute before jumping 
out and pouncing on it, and then she'll violently shake it back and forth in her mouth. She uses the same hide and attack method on our shoes as we walk by the table, especially my furry slippers, so we need to figure out how to teach her the difference between shoes and animals. But her very favorite thing to do is snuggle up with us on the couch. She's really sweet and affectionate, and we think we definitely picked the right pup for our family.
