Meet Baxter.

Most of the people who know me, know Baxter.  But for any strangers stumbling across this page, you now know him too.

Baxter is a long haired, mini dachshund and this picture of him is quite outdated.  He's now almost 6 months old and losing all his baby teeth (about 1 a day).  I'm such a proud parent.

The boyfriend surprised me with Baxter a few months ago out of the blue.  BEST SURPRISE EVER.  I came home from a grueling day at work to find a little, black ball of fur cuddled up on my sofa.  He was so tiny I could nearly hold him in one hand.  Now he's a lean, mean, chewing machine.

So far the most notable things he has digested are as follows:

- Earplugs ( x 4)
- An arm from his favorite chew toy
- The eyes of a stuffed pig
- The corner of the carpet in the sitting room
- His harness (he ate half. I immediately bought him another and he's not allowed near it, except on walks)
- Multiple loose teeth
- Paper...lots of paper.

Thankfully he's managed to...manage all of the above.

Baxter is currently going through a stage where he does not listen.  For example, he's currently chewing on the new rug I bought as boyfriend continuously yells, "no."  In these situations, he gets put on a time out (quiet time in the kitchen).  I always made fun of those people who treated their dogs like children.  I am slowly becoming one of them.  The Jo Frost of puppies would be proud of my tactic.  Maybe I should get Baxter a naughty step.

But in spite all of the chewing, being bold, and testing my patience, nothing beats coming home to a lovely little puppy every day.  No matter how hard a day it is, Baxter is there to greet me with a tail wag and a lick to the face.  

Boyfriend better watch out, he's got serious competition.

More to come on Baxter as the puppy rearing adventure continues!