So, we got a new dog over the weekend: a black lab named Sandy. Bryan named her. She is very sweet and smart and big. Tino wasn't quite sure what to think of her at first, and he didn't like being knocked around by her giant black paws, but they spent most of yesterday playing and chasing each other. The second day we had her, she went outside and chewed our rug into little two-inch pieces and then ate half of Mr. Lincoln. I was pretty upset about that, as he was growing very nicely before Sandy. Now, he's back to being my special-needs rose bush.

So, instead of leaving her outside during the day as planned, we bought her a giant dog crate, and she'll spend her days inside with Tino. I hope the confinement doesn't make her even more stir crazy.

The best thing about Sandy is that someone already trained her. She doesn't potty inside and she knows how to sit and won't get on the furniture. This is good for Tino, as he can escape to the couch or the bed if he needs to. So, now we're a family of four!