Coalie Girl

Meet our newest family member...COALIE

Coalie is a German Shorthaired Pointer and she is exactly what her daddy has been dreaming of.  She was born on June 10.  Two days later the breeder let us come over and choose her out of the 13 puppies in the liter.

 I had decided on a female dog and Heath narrowed it down to two girl puppies (#3 and #4) once they were born and the breeders sent us photos to look through.  We then went to meet the pups and I was instantly drawn to female#4 (as referred to by the breeder).

Here is Coalie, her 12 siblings and her Mama.

We went to go visit Coalie and introduce her to her name the week before we got to take her home.  This was the first time we got to see how her coat developed and we think her ticking is just gorgeous!!  We also love the coloring on her face with the white spot.

 

We got to bring Coalie home on July 20.  She is saying goodbye to her mama and getting to know her new family.



 Introducing her to her new home and bed! 





Friends stopped by all week to come meet sweet Coalie!

Initially Leah was fearful that the puppy "is going to eat me"



Alesi with her newest furry friend

 But by the end of the visit Leah learned to trust that the puppy wouldn't eat her and even climbed into Coalie's bed to kiss her goodbye!

Coalie's favorite activities are exploring  the outdoors, eating all forms of wood (mulch, bark, sticks, logs--we call her a beaver), sleeping and biting!!

She loves climbing in my plants and then gets scared when the leaves brush against her.  She'll run away and then come pouncing right back which is stinking adorable to watch.

All the playing outdoors (and the occasional potty in the crate) lead to her first bath where she looked very cute and was quite frightened of the slick surface.  She tolerated the water very well and was so fluffy and cuddly afterwards!

 As a newbie to the world of having a pet, this has been quite the experience for me.  I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it but Coalie has already stole my heart and I feel a sense of protectiveness for her safety.  I feel pride in teaching her obedience and behavior.  I also feel frustration when she makes mistakes or acts naughty but often realize that it was because I wasn't paying attention to her cues.  Heath and I are also learning what fatigue and responsibility are because she needs constant watching (can't quite be trusted in the house yet even though she improves every day) and middle of the night and early morning potty breaks mean a lot less sleep for us.  We have to plan our day around her and we are anxious for the work day to get over so we can get home to love on her! 

She's a sweetheart and a very smart dog.  As a natural bred hunter she is very trainable and responds well to rules.  As a hunter she also has a lot of energy and will require a ton of exercise.  I look forward to the day when she gets big enough to run with me, but I also dread it because I will need to run her every single day to prevent bad behavior.  She is also known to be a protective and loving family dog that is great with kids, so we look forward to that someday in the future.  She already knows that Heath and I are her family and she comes quickly to our side whenever she gets scared or overwhelmed in a new situation. 

We look forward to continuing to share her with our family and friends as she gets bigger and we get to take her places.  On a side note, we are going to have to start training my mother if she ever plans to hang out with us again in the future, for if you know my mother you know that she is terrified of all dogs, no matter shape, size or temperment!!