Well... We got a dog

I had been bugging Amanda (Der) about getting a dog for a while. She kept us responsible, reminding me that we needed to be smart with money, but she did mention that if we got one, she’d want a Shih Tzu. I was leaning toward a Jack Russell Terrier. She preferred a small, fluffy couch cuddler; I was hoping for a dog that would play fetch whenever we wanted and could offer some protection if needed. I then started thinking about a Duck Toller, but she still wanted a Shih Tzu—until she saw what a Duck Toller looked like and started to reconsider. We looked into the Toller and discovered that Australian Shepherds are similar. Both are fluffy, love to fetch, they are smart, and could be loyal protectors (maybe?).

Then we found out there were such things as "mini aussies"

  1. The dog would be fluffy
  2. The dog would be "smaller"
  3. The dog would fetch and run with me
  4. The dog might protect her?
  5. The dog would be a couch cuddler


4 / 5, good enough!

then Der told me to look at puppies.com for our dog...

Der and I went back and forth for a while about getting a Mini Aussie. Should we do it? Should we not? Are we ready? Probably not.

Then one day, she comes home from work and says, “I know the perfect place to find our dog… Puppies.com!”

Absolutely not. There’s no way we’re doing that. I might as well send my Wells Fargo routing and account numbers to that Nigerian prince who’s been emailing me for the last three years, claiming he’s stranded in the ocean with no food, water, or a boat.

SO... we went to puppies.com

And we found "Eclipse"

Eclipse was part of a litter with puppies named "Moon," "Nebula," and "Rocket." Her portrait was absolutely hilarious—she was almost smiling, kinda chubby, kinda ugly but cute, and looking a little bit goofy (joking, of course). So, we inquired.

We connected with Byron from Barclay Ranch, and he urged us to put a deposit down if we were even considering taking one of the pups because they were going fast. We mentioned we were looking for a girl, and he confirmed that was a good idea because Rocket was far too out of control to sell at that point. He had Nebula, Moon, and Eclipse left, so we put the deposit down just in case.

Within the hour, Nebula and Moon were sold and picked up—so Eclipse was ours if we wanted her.

But we were going to tahoe for a week...

We had Der's annual family trip to Tahoe planned and were heading up there in a few days, so we had to let the Barclay Ranch team know that we’d have to pick her up in two weeks—and enjoy our last bit of time without "kids."

We'll meet you at tractor supply in madera

The Barclay team said she would be ready for pickup during our drive home from Tahoe and that they would gladly meet us at the Tractor Supply store in Madera on our way down since they live nearby.

We made a plan: Der would drive, I would work during the car ride, we’d pick her up, give her her new name, and we'd find a way to make it all work. And we did.

Everyone, meet Porter.

8 more hours of traffic, but we learned she can use a sandbox?

No really, dogs can use a sandbox?

About two hours into the drive, she started to freak out and get antsy. I was holding her in the front seat when she suddenly jumped over my shoulder into the back seat, landing in the cement mixer tray that the Barclay team had given us—and then she peed, just like a perfectly trained cat.

Our dog just used a makeshift sandbox, and we didn’t have to potty train her at all. This is absolutely incredible!

But I was still working.

It was about 3:00pm on a Wednesday, so I was still working on the car ride, but now I had a dog on my lap in all of my meetings. I

Just a couple hours later and we made it home

she's made the house a home

It’s been a few weeks of complete mayhem in our house, but we’re finally starting to settle into a good routine with her. She’s got her running path from the kitchen to the couch figured out, she's found her favorite spots to sleep, and she’s claimed a corner of the balcony as her lookout area. She’s also decided that the couch, chairs, TV stand, floorboards, and just about anything but her actual chew toys are perfect for chewing.

This is porter's house now and we are okay with that

And with a little help from our friend, Chat GPT, here's a poem about our new little girl


Porter, the menace, a bundle of joy, with a docked little tail and a love to destroy.

She bounces through rooms, a blur on four feet, turning chaos to charm, mischief so sweet.

No sock is safe, no shoe can hide, she’ll sneak them away with a playful pride.

Her eyes, like round marbles, too cute to resist, make you forget all the things she’s dismissed.

Training’s a game she plays on her terms. Sit? Only sometimes, and stay? Well, she squirms.

But there’s love in her madness, a sweetness so pure, for all of her trouble, she’s easy to adore.

Curled up beside you, a soft little ball, her snores fill the silence, the calm after all.

She’s a wild little whirlwind, a puppy with flair, Porter’s our menace, and we love her with care