we got a new dog

ya know. cause we’re kinda crazy like that. we already have a dog. and three kids. and work and websites and racing and just the general craziness of our life.

so of course, getting another dog totally makes sense. it’s just how we roll.

sometimes we’d joke, when our lives would get particularly hectic – that we should get a puppy or get pregnant. just to take the whole crazy up a notch.

we had been wanting a little dog for a while, but never really went officially looking for one. i figured when the time was right, we’d just sort of find the dog, or it would find us. or something like that.

the dog actually found judi first, and that’s how i found him and read about how he showed up on their doorstoop one day, and that they loved him, but that he needed to be with another family.

i thought perhaps this is it. the cosmic karma cyberspace way we’d find a dog. through bloggy friends. so, after a bunch of texts and emails and phone calls with judi; on my way up to mason, ohio for what i swear is my last road race of the season (really. i’m done. that’s it) - i visited ‘nani’ (named after giovanni ‘nani’ pinarello) and took him for a little get-to-know-ya walk that sealed the deal.

i picked him up the following day after my races and we headed back to louisville. i had lost sleep the night before – worried about the transition, worried about our dog mabel and hoping a new addition wouldn’t make her feel displaced or sad.  nani settled right into the seat and fell right asleep – as soon as i pulled off the highway, he woke up and poked his head out the window, and wagged his stubby little tail like he knew he was home.

he’s been here for 3 days now and it feels almost as if he’s been here all along, like this was just meant to be. the transition has been weirdly seamless. i expected some bumps. some random poops. some marking. some dog fighting over who’s in charge.

nothing.

i think he’s better behaved than our other dog. and i think our other dog, who is high energy and slightly crazy herself, has calmed down a bit. and her nose doesn’t appear bent out of shape at all. strangely enough, the introduction of a tiny little ten pound miniature pinscher has brought a certain calmness to the house. six walks a day and a big backyard for frolicking could have something to do with the doggie calmness too.  we don’t watch animal planet & the dog whisperer for the heck of it.

we’ve decided if he could talk it would be with an italian accent. he is  after all, named after an italian bike designer.

il benvenuto a casa, nani.