Miss Belle

Before we ever brought Raleigh home, I had been wanting a puppy for a long time. I was fortunate to live with many roommates in college who had chosen to get puppies while I lived with them so I feel like I had a pretty realistic viewpoint of what it takes to raise a puppy. I did pick up a free puppy from Costco once, along with Maria, when I was a junior at MSU. I had Briley for about a month before I gave her up for adoption. I definitely was not ready to have a dog at that time. Ever since then, I have been gun shy about making the commitment. Once we decided to get Raleigh although, I knew it was just the right time to bring this bundle of joy (and energy) into our lives.

When we brought her home in October, I was lucky to be able to stay home with her for her first month as a Waller puppy. We walked on the beach everyday, snuggled, and bonded. She was potty trained in no time. When I was hired for my job in November, I had the hardest time leaving her at home. Yes, I cried on the first day. She had become my little sidekick and I felt like I just abandoned her.

That is when Kellie came into our lives. Kellie is RB's dog walker and they have lots of fun together during the day. Kellie is great and I feel blessed knowing that I don't need to worry about Belle when I'm at work. The best part is coming home from a stressful day at work to a puppy that couldn't be happier to  see you.

Now 21 weeks (or 5 months) old, I can't believe how big our Raleigh is getting...I don't realize it until I look at photos from a few months ago. While we were gone in Europe, she spent two weeks with our good friends, Paul & Amy, and their puppy, Brewski. I definitely think she had fallen in love with her new life and therefore, was not too happy to come home. She missed Brew so much the first few days she was home and sometimes, she still cries for him. I'm convinced that she is crying for Brewski because she never randomly cried before or would pout around the house. Well, now she does. Her time with them was so special...you can read about it HERE.

Here are some photos of Belle throughout her 5 months... (thanks Paul for the last few :))

Thank you, daddy, for giving me so many baths.

RB & Boyfriend Brewski.

When she swims, she looks like a rat dog!

Belle & Brewski, her boyfriend!

I realized that I'm bad at taking recent photos...I need to have my camera out more. Anyways, we are so glad to have Raleigh....although frustrating at times, I can't imagine my life without this munchkin!