El Negrito - our new little puppy

So, after months of looking at puppy pictures, the holiday spirit inspired me to fulfill Maria’s dream of becoming a mommy to a four-legged bundle of joy.  Jennifer kept sending Maria pictures of Chihuaha puppies and links to doggie rescue and puppy ads.  Maria and I even visited one of the DC Animal Rescue shelters to see what doggies they had for adoption.  We even inquired about a beautiful female Miniature Pinscher that had given birth to MinPin-mixed puppies.  Alas, we were a little late and she had been adopted.

During our search I came across www.puppyfind.com, which happened to let one search by breed and location.  I immediately started searching for Miniature Pinschers in the DMV.  Funny enough, the only breeders that had Min Pin pups at the time were in Virginia.  After exchanging a few emails with the breeder, Gretchen Post, I decided we would get a beautiful little Black and Tan Miniature Pinscher.

As luck would have it the week I decided on this purchase, I was away on business.  I had to purchase a money order and send it priority mail to reserve our little puppy.

A week later the puppy was just old enough to come home, and not a moment too soon!  That weekend was Christmas and I wanted to welcome our little guy home in time for the holiday.

So, that Friday I decided to take off of work so that I could bring the little guy home.  Traffic was horrible!  I-95 was a parking lot.  I got off near Fredericksburg and took local roads all the way to Mineral, Virginia.  Yes, this is the same Mineral, VA that was the epicenter of the big earthquake in the DMV area last summer.

When I arrived, I visited with Gretchen and her huge MinPin family.  I met lots of cute puppies, while we talked about the breed and general care.  After about an hour, I was ready to pick between the puppies that were ready to come home.

There were two little brothers that I was able to choose from.  One puppy was very skittish and hid under the sofa.  He was not really having any of me.  The other one was very curious about the tall two-legged creature that had come to visit.  We played for a little while and realized he was a complete ball of furry love.  He was definitely the one!

Our new little puppy on his car ride home.

On the ride back I began to get phone calls from Maria.  I had visited with Gretchen and the puppies for a good 2-1/2 hours and it was now close to rush hour.  Maria had gone to her mom’s house to cook some carne desmechada and she wanted to know if I wanted to come over and eat.  I told her that I was just getting off work and wasn’t sure I would make it over the river in time.

Meanwhile, I was racing up I-95 and cutting through DC to make sure I could get home before Maria would.  When I got home, I had to work fast.  Maria was on her way, and I had to prepare the little guy for his mommy’s arrival.  As I saw Maria pull up in her car, I went to hide in the bedroom.

I had the surprise all planned out.  I had purchased a little dog tag with the little guy’s temporary name, Negrito.  I would tell Maria that her Christmas present was on the island with the hopes that she would put two and two together.  Unfortunately, I had also left the puppy’s dog food on the island.  So, when Maria comes in, I tell her to check the island for her present.  The first thing she sees is the dog food and thinks it’s cereal or some sort of snack.  I tell her to look for a little black thing on the island.

Honestly, at this time all I cared about was that her back was turned to the bedroom.  I place the puppy on the floor and tell Maria to turn around.  She sees the little puppy and in a flash she is on the floor hugging and kissing the little guy!  She was ecstatic to be a mommy, just in time for Christmas!!!

PIcture of El Negrito

PIcture of El Negrito