{Meet Paten}

As you know we did get a beagle mix named Shelbee but ended up giving her back due to her running away all the time and almost getting hit on more then one occasion. She was a good dog but really needed a family with a fully fenced in yard - which we just don't have right now. Also she played a bit too rough for our kids - she kept knocking them down and wanted to play with them like another dog and that included trying to nip at them. I hope she finds the right home for her.

So on our search continued - this time with more specific criteria: 1. MUST be potty trained. 2. WON'T run away and will come when called. 3. Must be considered a small dog (not too much bigger then what my grandparents mini palmeranian "chu chu"). 4. MUST like kids and not bark too much - I don't like yappy dogs who bark at the air.

I really don't think our list was at all hard to find if we just had the patience. I put an add on craigslist under the pet section (figuring it couldn't hurt) while looking at different rescue groups and the humane society for all the different counties.

We looked at a few dogs - some we were told we small and ended up being way too big and some were just not for us. But soon we got an email from a lovely woman who said she had the perfect dog for us.

She was right! Yesterday, we picked up Paten aka Letopan (short for little panda - I couldn't sound it out and William didn't like it so we named him Paten for General Paten). He is a 7 month old shi tzu and is just the sweetest dog around. He will need his shots and get fixed but he is just too cute. He is so stunning with his long fur and black tipped white and red fur. He loves to follow me around and around. He is so calm and hasn't snapped or barked at anyone even when the kids get all up in his face - which I would snap if they did the same to me. He is so well behaved and EXACTLY what we were looking for!

Don't you think he's just the cutest? (click image to view larger)