Swiper, No Swiping!

On Wednesday night, we were able to pick up the newest addition to our family, Swiper the dog, a full-blood Doberman Pinscher puppy. I've agitated Charlotte to no end to let us have a Doberman, as my brother, sisters, and I had one named Babe, who we all recollect to be the best family pet in the history of man and petkind. Some people have a negative reaction to Dobermans, but I've long been convinced this is due to either lack of exposure or misplaced trust in media stereotyping of the breed.




Watching Alyse and Swiper play together is about the darn cutest thing I've ever seen, especially since they are both younglings in their own rite.




With Swiper having been recently separated from his family for the first time, his transition into the household has been a tiny bit challenging. He'll whimper when one of us walks out of the room, and occasionally at night both Alyse and he will vie for our attention.




And, of course, the biggest challenge I faced with Swiper coming in was convincing Charlotte to let him be an all-house dog. What I mean by this, is that he have no restrictions where he can go in the house. For those who don't know, Zoe was a kitchen dog and was not allowed on the carpet (I still have a strange feeling this help contribute to her neurotic behavior). Also for those who don't know, Charlotte has a god-like obsession with cleanliness and believes that, even if properly groomed and maintained, dogs have invisible dirt that gets on the carpet. Swiper, seen above, senses that he will have to win over Charlotte's heart to earn this privilege.