Surprise Puppy!

Before you say it, I know. And I fully agree. Puppies are not usually an appropriate Christmas gift.

But, when you’re already planning on adding a pet to the family, being able to coordinate it with Santa is a parenting coup. 

Our daughter Avery adores animals. She lives and breathes fur. I also breathe fur, hence my weekly allergy shots. But that’s a story for another time. 

Avery’s first pet was our rescue dog, a terrier/chihuahua Roger. We got him when Avery was a toddler and her physical therapist suggested a dog as motivation to get her walking. It worked. 

We also had a guinea pig. Sadly, he’s in pet heaven now. RIP Ernie

And if you are familiar with my Instagram account, you’re painfully aware that we have a big orange tabby named Kevin. He just so darn photogenic that I can’t help but share pics and videos of him. A lot. Like, a “crazy cat lady” amount. 

Now that Avery is eleven and is responsible enough to start caring for a puppy—learning to feed and train her very own dog, we were happy to make this wish come true. 

Though she asked Santa for a puppy (she actually wore her puppy print pants when she sat on his lap beside him…apparently ‘lap sitting’ is no longer a thing), she knew it was a big ask. 

So when she met her new puppy on Christmas morning, she was stunned. 

Here’s a little video of the surprise. 

Related: Why We Got A Cat