We've adopted...

... some shelter pets! We are child-free for the weekend, so after sleeping in, James woke me up this morning wanting to go to the shelter. We've been talking about getting a cat, particularly since Gracie asked for one for Christmas, but we didn't plan to get one so soon!

We drove to a small local shelter that had about nine cats, six of them feral. Just for kicks, we asked to see the dogs, and all five of them weren't even adoptable. (Which makes me wonder why we weren't just told that instead of allowed in the room. Oh well.)

We next headed to the shelter in Fort Worth which has a generous selection of adoptable animals. We looked over the cats, debating between kittens and adult cats. James thought the kids would have more fun with the tiny kittens. I, on the other hand, was looking for an adult cat -- one already litter trained, really mellow, and ready to lay around with me on the couch.

In the cat room, all the cats were flipping out. Many of them were kittens wrestling with one another. Others were older and were crazily pressing against the doors of their kennels trying to get a scratch behind the ear. Tucked away in the corner was a a big mellow orange cat who was just sitting there looking at us like whatever. I immediately fell in love. At only eight months old, he's young enough to be playful, however he's big enough to not get squished when loved on by the kids. Meet our new cat, Milo:


Then, we went to the dog room. Though we weren't planning to get a dog (due to a little agreement that involves the installation of some wood floors), we still like to visit. We walked the rows and greeted the dogs. As we were leaving, I noticed a beautiful black lab puppy nearly tucked behind the door. She looked like a full-blooded lab -- she was so beautiful! I called James over to look at her and we asked the attendant if they knew why she was here. He said he thought she was probably the last of a breeder's litter who at 10 weeks was too old to sell. After admiring her through the cage, we asked to hold her.

We were taken to a bonding room and played with her for a while on the floor. She was so sweet and friendly. James thought the kids would like her, particularly Bub. I reminded him Bub's birthday is next month and mentioned maybe we should get her for him. He was sold -- I could see it in his eyes. To make the deal even sweeter, the attendant offered to sponsor 50% of the adoption fee since we were interested in more than one animal. He also reminded us that Milo was sponsored at 100%.

After the discount of the sponsorship, we paid $35 for two animals that came with food samples and coupons, bowls, food mats, a litter box, immunizations, licensing, Home Again microchips, and vouchers for free rabies shots and spaying/neutering. We were already crushing on the dog, but couldn't pass up the really good deal! Meet our new puppy, Sadie:


The kids have no idea these two have invaded their home. We can't wait to see their reaction. It's nearly as exciting as Christmas!