Who Is Your Daddy?

I'm loving being a new mother.

My heart melts every time Simon looks up at me with his little brown eyes and his baby bear face.

"Why did the kitty smack me?" He asks

Be nice to the kitty, I reply. Simon is very smart. In just a few days he has learned that nipping at the kitty's tail and legs probably isn't the best approach. Instead, he now treads slowly and gives a big LAP, which practically knocks kitty over.

We did purchase Simon from a breeder which has shocked everyone that knows me. I am a huge advocate for animal adoption, and have volunteered at an animal shelter for 3 years. I do feel extremely guilty for purchasing an animal considering so many are in need of good homes, but knowing how wonderful Simon's mother is, and how amazing this breed is, I couldn't pass him up. I came across his mother because she is a certified therapy dog, and "works" at one of my accounts. Every time I would visit this account, I would be greeted by Ella:



I usually pop into this account once a month. "How is it going? Do you need any order forms? How is service? Ummmm....where is Ella?"

Last fall Ella's mom told me that she had bred Ella and a litter of puppies were on the way for December. My heart immediately pulled. I had been discussing Ella with Brian since I met her, and he would say, "you're crazy - those dogs are huge." Despite her size, Ella had such a light, non-invasive presence. When I learned about the puppies, I begged Brian - "let's just meet them."

So we did. And fell in love with these little bundles of snuggle love. And that's how we came to get Simon. I mean really - would you have been able to pass up this face:



I didn't think so. He has already reached about 20lbs and he is only 2 months old. Eventually, he'll grow to about 150-160lbs and will resemble his Daddy - Mark:



Yup, Simon is a Newfoundland, and we are so in love!