Bringing Home Sal

Sitting in our hotel room in Barcelona, Ellison and I began to discuss the idea of getting a puppy. When I say began to discuss, I mean Ellison began to seriously consider the idea, as I had been discussing doggos since we first started dating. Together, we agreed it was time to start looking.
Flash forward a month later, on a Saturday morning at 4:00am, we were getting in the car to travel to Pennsylvania to pick up our puppy. It was a five hour drive through Amish country until we finally arrived at a little farm. There, we met John, our breeder, who introduced us to Pickles...

When we got back in the car to drive home, I was practically crying with excitement. We decided before going that we were going to name him Salvatore, and call him Sal.

Ellison drove for a few hours while Sal and I rode in the back. He was so well behaved in the car, sleeping in my lap. He never cried, not once. When we switched and I drove, Ellison was so cute in the passenger seat with Sal. El was worried about hurting him or making sure he was okay.

When we got home, Sal explored the house as we tried to sneak in as many snuggles as possible. His first night went smoothly. He slept in his crate and only cried once. We checked in on him many times throughout the night, and I think he was more annoyed of being woken up than reassured by our presence!

In the next few days, which have now turned into weeks, we have learned so much about and from Salvatore. He has developed a ferocious bark (really the most cute sound ever), he loves to be chased around the house, and we no longer run the vacuum without giving Sal proper notice. He has become our baby, and we both have a hard time leaving him during the day. He is the best little puppy, who loves walking, peanut butter, Ellison's socks, and attention. We can't imagine life without him.