Day Four: The Dog Gets a Name

So, the dog received his name. Drum roll please... ROMEO! The 7 year old has spoken and after many home made ballots and an attempt at a fully democratic process, she takes  credit for the name :) "How are your allergies?", you may ask? Not terrible. I won't lie though, I'm taking a nasal antihistamine spray each day right now until my system accepts this creature a bit more (or not...).
Here is my daily routine thus far that has shown me what works and what doesn't.
1. Wipe the dog down after walking outside for potty in the morning. Mostly paws and hind legs from peeing. Remember, my dog is poofy and short right now.
2. Try to keep him on the concrete pad as much as possible while the grass is in full force.... yes, I'm allergic to the grass too!
3. I am trying two different kinds of pet wipes right now. The first is called EarthBath grooming wipes that I purchased at Petco (Earthbath). The second made by Petkin are called Allergy Relief Petwipes (I think these may be proprietary with Petco. Not sure yet how well the latter work as I just used one this morning and the pup is still asleep.
4. No pup on beds, couches and he is not allowed in my personal bedroom at all. No exceptions.
5. I shower before bed each night and do not get up in the night with the pup for potty breaks, my dear husband gets that task (thanks honey!)
6. I change my pillow case every other day. I'm doing tons of laundry each week anyway, why not throw in a few more pillow cases?
7. I am washing the dog bedding after three days and will try to keep that up... ahem, I'm not always motivated with laundry. I have good intentions, but the pile can grow...

I tried a "dry" shampoo (Earthbath waterless grooming foam)but it's really kind of a gooey process and I've not yet decided if I like it. If you were to try one, I recommend one without a lot of stuff in it. Keep it simple in case you end up allergic to the ingredients in the shampoo! I'm not recommended products, but just sharing what I've tried. The links are not where/how I purchased the products but are meant for you to see what a description might say about them.

Well, aside from the adorable first trip out to my daughter's school this morning, we are settling in today and the pup is napping a lot.

Day One: We did it! We got the puppy.

So yesterday, on Saturday the 25th, we picked up our new little puppy-head. He's adorable, 4 pounds and fluffy as can be. He's a Havanese, known for being bred solely as companion dogs. Cuban in origin, they don't get beyond about 12 pounds as an adult.

Here's the catch to getting the dog..... I'm allergic. Yes, that's right. I decided to go on an adventure (ahem) for the sake of my family. I am the only person in the house that is allergic and I want my kids to have the dog they have always wanted. I'm taking a risk, a big risk, to see if I can live with a companion dog and still be able to breathe freely (mostly). This is my journey. My Allergic Adventures in Dogland. I will post my personal findings (trials, tribulations, successes) as I live with my puppy as well as any research and resources that I find useful to others living with pets and allergies. Assuming anyone is actually reading this...

Alors, let the fun begin!