Boykins is Go!

Whoa! Sarah and Quan have taken the plunge and will be adopting a French Bulldog pup from Encore French Bulldogs, a breeder in Marshall, MI. Earl Boykins (Boykins for short) will officially join us on July 1, when I fly from Boston to Detroit to pick her up. She and I will do a quick family tour, visiting Kalamazoo (to see my brother and his family) and West Olive (where we'll stay with my parents). Then it's back to Boston on July 4! Having only been responsible for ourselves since, well, college at least, this is exciting and daunting all at once.

As we start to get the house ready (rearranging rooms, looking for spots to puppy-proof), it's all starting to sink in. Where are we going to put the pup? (Our room at first, then into her own space after she's ready.) Where will we store her food? (I'm going on a storage expedition today.) How many toys do you need when you don't even have the dog yet? (As of today: 4, apparently.) Where collars are concerned, what's too girly? (According to Quan, anything with pink and flowers. But I still think it's cute.)

We're picking Boykins up a bit later than most folks get their puppies, so she'll be a bit closer to 14 weeks by the time I get her home. I doubt it'll be the case, but Quan and I do wonder if those two weeks between 12 weeks (when we could have gotten her) and 14 weeks (when we do get her) will mean we've missed "crucial puppy cuteness." Probably not, but Quan likes to joke that Boykins will practically be a surly teenager who doesn't want to be seen with us and just wants a ride to the pet store so she can shop with her friends.