Frankie!

Ladies and gentlemen -- Frankie!  Oh lord, she's cute.

This definitely wasn't a planned thing.  One of our coworkers just bred his Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and he brought one of the last puppies of the litter over to our house a couple nights ago.  At first we laughed him off ('We already have two cats!  Dogs are so much work!  What happens when we go on vacation / want to move / etc.?')  But then we started playing with her.  She spent the night on a 'trial run,' which of course sealed the deal.  And now we have a dog!

I guess we always put off getting a dog because I assumed they'd cramp our style.  They're definitely more high-maintenance than cats and you have to keep them in mind when you make plans.  But Frankie has been an easy puppy so far, and I think she's going to be the ultimate adventure buddy.  Chessies are known for being super-smart, alert, and tough.  They were bred to hunt ducks, so she's comfortable in the water -- she's only 10 weeks old and we've already taken her swimming and hiking!  Frankie is going to be a big, tough dog when she's full grown and I'm sure she can come on most of our escapades.  Our first big adventure -- house training!