Have Dog, Will Drive

We are falling more in love with little Bean (I'll explain more about his full name below) every day. We're still getting to know his personality, so I'm going to save my "Meet Bean" post for later, but I wanted to go ahead and write a post about how we ended up with this little guy! It's kind of a funny story, and overall it's felt very meant-to-be. The process of integrating him into our family has been so much fun but not 100% smooth sailing--there have been moments where we worry about how he fits into our lives or Willie gets annoyed with having a puppy in the house. So with that in mind, you can expect posts about bringing a new puppy into the house with an existing dog, as well as thoughts on crate training, socialization, and more. I can't wait to share all we've learned. But without further introduction, here's the story of how Bean came to be part of the family!

To set the stage, I should explain that we have been thinking about getting Willie a sibling for awhile--pretty much since we adopted him, actually! We knew that bringing two dogs on the Alaska trip would probably be too much, so we wanted to wait until we were back. But, as soon as we saw how much Willie LOVES other dogs , we thought it would be a great idea to get him a brother or sister.

When we started the search, we were pretty sure what our next dog would be like: a girl, pit bull, and most likely already a few years old. Well, as I wrote in my post about bringing home Willie, we make plans and God laughs. We ended up with a dog that is different in every way: a boy, a tiny little mutt, and a PUPPY! Not what we were looking for at all. But somehow, that convinces me even more that he was meant to be ours.

We'd been looking for a pit bull rescue and working with a few rescue organizations, mainly because we were worried about adopting from a shelter where we couldn't introduce Willie to the dog before adopting. With an existing dog, that's definitely an added complication. We contacted Angel City Pit Bulls and Bullies and Buddies (local rescue orgs) and even set up some meet and greets with adoptable dogs. But while we were mulling over what to do, we happened to run out of food for Willie. We went to our local pet store, Tailwaggers, for some food for him, and they happened to be having a cat adoption event at the time. Not being in the market for a new cat, I ignored the setup, and went straight for Willie's food in the back of the store. But then Grace pointed out that there was a little puppy right in the middle of all of the cat carriers! He was shaking like a leaf and seemed very confused and lonely. The lady from the rescue organization running the adoption said I could pick him up, so I gingerly lifted him into my arms . . . and he promptly stopped shaking and fell asleep. To say I was instantly smitten would be an understatement.

I don't know why, but we just felt something right away. We knew he wasn't what we were looking for, but he worked his puppy magic on us and we just felt like he had literally fallen into our lap, right when we were looking for a second dog. He needed a home (having been surrendered to the South LA Animal Shelter, a high-kill shelter in town, and then picked up by the rescue organization Homeless to Forever Foundation). And he was beyond CUTE and so sweet. Last but not least, I felt like I got a major sign from above in what he was wearing. Compare the two photos below:

He already matched Willie! I'm a sucker for "signs," so when I noticed that, it was kind of all over for me.

The person running the rescue said they had to schedule a home visit, which they did for later that week. They drove him to our house, checked out the puppy supplies we'd bought, supervised the introduction to Willie, and then he was ours! We kept him from that night forward.

Willie has been very curious right away, and he has been intensely interested in grooming Bean from day 1. We think it's a bonding thing. There have been a few moments where Willie has gotten sick of Bean's puppy ways, but I will save that for another post. For the most part, we're all becoming one big happy family :)

That said, the sweet sleeping puppy at Tailwaggers was kind of a ruse. Haha! I can't blame him, because he IS just a puppy, but we had some house training to do, and we've also been teaching him to be comfortable and not cry in his crate (side note: I was totally not into crate training before getting this puppy, but now I see how necessary it is and have been converted!). He is rambunctious, fun, silly, and super playful. So far he is definitely a big dog in a small dog's body, which is exactly how we want him to be given that his older brother is huge. He's done great at puppy playtime and boarding over Christmas, and I think he shows every sign of being a very good dog. It's just a different experience from adopting Casper and Willie, who were both totally trained when we got them! We have to work on Bean, but it's a new experience that we're grateful to have.

Now that I've told the whole story of how he came to be ours, here are a few FAQ's about Bean that I've been getting:

What's his name/how did you pick his name?

Bean's full name is Jellybean Jones Baldridge. It comes from Riverdale/the Archie Comics, and Jellybean is the baby sister of the character Jughead (Grace and I are big Riverdale fans). Jellybean hasn't actually appeared on the show yet, but she's mentioned in it, and she's part of the Archie Comics on which the show is based. We just thought the name Jellybean was so cute, so back when we thought we'd get a girl for our second dog, we decided to name her Jellybean and maybe call her Jelly or Ellie for a nickname. But when we ended up with little Bean, it still fit--but his nickname is Bean instead! I also thought Bean Baldridge was just the cutest little name. Plus, he curls up just like a little pinto:

What kind of dog is he? How big is he going to get?

The answer to both is kind of a mystery! I've never had a small dog before, and from what I understand they stop growing more quickly than big dogs do. That said, Bean is only about 4-6 months old, so it does not sound like he is done growing yet. He gained about 1 pound in 4 weeks, so we're hoping he'll get a little bit bigger! He's 10 pounds right now, and I think his full-grown weight will be 15-20.

As for what kind of dog he is, he's probably a combination of some or all of these breeds: mini dachshund, jack russell terrier, and chihuahua. As he grows, we'll probably be able to tell more, and I also plan to do a doggy DNA test for both him and Willie. I'm very curious, but ultimately it doesn't really matter--I firmly believe that breeds are just a guideline, and especially for a mutt, so much of it depends on training and the energy you (as the alpha) bring to the relationship.

Does Willie like him?

Mostly, yes. But we are setting really strict boundaries right now because of the significant size difference--our primary concern is safety, and our secondary focus is bonding and fun times between the doggies. But I have faith they will be best buds :)

Is it difficult having a puppy?

Honestly, yes, it's a lot more work than just with Willie! But Grace and I are "dog people" through and through. We love dogs of all shapes, sizes, ages, breeds, etc. And this is a new chapter in our life and new adventure--and we can't wait for MANY more years with little Bean! We love him and it's so much fun to share him on the blog.

Thanks for reading! I have lots more to share soon.

For anyone that might be reading who doesn't know Casper, or even for those who do, I wanted to take a minute today to formally introduce him on Have Dog, Will Drive! He is the dog behind that title and a lot of the inspiration for Grace and me to get outside more and explore new places.

Casper is a special guy, and he is beloved by many. I thought a good way to introduce him would be to answer some questions we often get about him:

1. When/where did you get him, and how old is he? Grace adopted Casper on October 11, 2014, at the West LA Animal Shelter. We first visited him about a week prior, when Grace suggested we go check out our local animal shelter to see what kind of volunteer opportunities they had available (famous last words). We decided to stroll the hallways of kennels and just visit some pooches that were up for adoption, when we noticed this one dog hiding in the back of his kennel looking dejected. Every other dog was coming up to the front of the gate, putting their paws up, smiling, and generally hamming it up. But this one (at the time, temporarily named Logan by the shelter) looked depressed and mangy, and the little schedule/notepad outside his door said that he hadn't finished any of his meals in the past few days. Also on a sign outside the door, there was a message that said something like "Before You Walk Away! Please give this dog a chance. He is a gentleman of a dog, and all the volunteers love walking him." That made Grace's heart skip a beat, because her family had always described their dog Max (who passed away about a year and a half before this) as a "gentleman." Below is a photo of Grace with Casper for the first time, when we got to take him out of the kennel and play with him.

He was extremely skittish and would not make eye contact with us. He was also covered in scabs and scars. I'll admit, he didn't seem like much. But Grace felt something tugging at her heartstrings, and though we didn't adopt him right then, over the next week she went back to visit him every morning before work (I was back in Berkeley at this point). On the next Saturday, she went back and brought him home! He was stiff and nervous at first, not sure what this new life was going to be. But he quickly warmed up, going from being super shy to a super clingy, 65-pound (now 80; he was malnourished at the time) lap dog. Based on our vet's estimation, we think he is about 9 years old at this point, and we celebrate his "birthday" on October 11, his adoption day.

2. What happened to him in the past, and why was he in the shelter as an older dog? We don't have a full answer to this question, but we have pieced a backstory together through a few different clues. Before Casper was brought to the shelter, he was found running loose in West LA. He was beat up and skinny. It turned out, he did have a microchip (the little chip in dogs' ears that give information to shelters and vets if they run away or get lost), and the shelter called the number associated with it. Whoever answered told them that yes, he was their dog, but they didn't want him anymore. It's like a knife to the heart hearing that about my precious pup, but some people just do not have compassion for animals (as my dad likes to say, they're "going to a hot place"). Casper has a lot of teeth mark scars on his body--two in between his eyes, a few on his back legs, and some rough scar tissue on his ears and tail. Based on this, it seems like he was part of an amateur fighting situation but likely wasn't very good at it. He was also nervous when we first got him, and was afraid of belts, indicating he was beaten with one. Again, it breaks my heart. But that's just the reality of his life for about 6-7 years before he ended up with us. Below are a few photos that showed what he looked like when we first got him--because I was in Berkeley for most of this time, most of what I have are screenshots of Snapchats and Instagrams and grainy photos!

Just days after we adopted him; he is wearing a bow tie but his snout is covered in scabs

3. With a dark past like that, is he dangerous? This is an understandable question that people often have. There are two parts to it. The first, which is the good news: he is a gentle little baby lamb around every human (of any age) that he has ever met. He doesn't jump up, bark, or growl. He's shy but excited to meet every person we walk past on the street. He's a little cuddle bug, and if he finds someone at a party who will scratch his ears and above his tail, he will stay glued to that person's legs the entire night. In short, he's a gentleman and a sweetheart. He trusts humans, despite everything they've put him through. The second part, though, is a little more complicated: he cannot be around other dogs. He is terrified of them and will not react well. On walks around the neighborhood, it's not a big problem; if a dog is on the other side of the street or even 20 yards ahead of us, Casper pays it no attention. However, if face-to-face with another dog, he will go into fight or flight mode. We've been extremely lucky to learn that quickly and not put him in situations where he would be faced with another dog. He's never gotten into a fight or anything like that. It's just something we know to be true about him, and we plan accordingly. Also, we are able to occasionally board him (though we avoid it because it's very stressful for Casper) through Brandon Fouche's facility, where Casper is off leash with other dogs and has no problems (he just hides from them and avoids them). I'm planning on doing a whole separate post about our training journey with Casper, so for now, I'll just say that Brandon is a miracle worker and has helped us get Casper's issues with other dogs in check to a point that I rarely think or worry about it anymore. Which, from 2014 to now, is an amazing and huge change.

4. Is it hard to take care of him while working full time? This is actually the most common question I get about Casper. Most of my friends in LA do not have dogs of their own at this stage in life, in part because they're not sure if they would have the time and money to care for one properly. I think it's very considerate and responsible to have that in mind, but at the same time, I would encourage anyone to consider adopting an older dog as a way of having a companion that does not need as much attention and will be forever grateful to you.

Grace's schedule is more flexible than mine, so she ends up taking him on walks and caring for him a lot. But that said, there are times when she is out of town, and I take care of him on my own. Even though I'm gone at work from around 7:15am-5pm, he is just fine hanging out and sleeping at home during those hours. I take him on about 2 long walks and 1-2 additional shorter "bathroom break" walks every day and he's happy. More than anything, he just wants to hang out at home with me and get attention. He is not a big eater and does not whine or get snappy for his dinner when I get home (usually, he hasn't even finished his breakfast). So in short, Grace and I are extremely lucky to have such a low-maintenance dog that fits so well into our lives at this age.

5. Lastly, what is his personality/likes and dislikes?

His little personality is so precious to me. He is a quiet, shy guy most of the time, but when he sees a favorite person (which is basically any person he has ever met), he wiggles his butt (he can't really wag his tail because of it being broken previously, so he just wiggles his whole lower half) and gets VERY excited. He loves his rubber ball and Kong. His favorite foods are mozzarella string cheese, fish, and eggs. He also likes ice cream and bananas, haha! His favorite time of the day is when Grace and I are watching a movie or TV in the evening and he can lay stretched out across both of our laps. He also loves to sleep in and can easily sleep until noon. He dislikes when Grace or I are getting packed up for a trip and he's uncertain whether he will get to come with us. He also strongly dislikes rain. Thankfully, he lives in sunny LA. We adore him and pray for many more years with him in our lives. I hope you enjoyed e-meeting him!