Meet Coala (and Nittany and Luna)

4-30-12, with Coala in New Philadelphia, OH

Yesterday, Ryan and I did something crazy. We went out and rescued another puppy! We have been discussing adding a puppy to our family for about a year now. Once you have two, what is one more? I couldn't be happier with the rescue center where we got Luna and now our new puppy Coala from. They are called From Heaven to Earth Animal Rescue and they are located in New Philadelphia, Ohio. They receive most of their puppies from the Amish because the Amish do not believe in getting their dogs neutered or spayed. The puppies all come with a health record, their first shots, they are dewormed, and have been given Revolution. They also come with a bag of the puppy food they're on, but I always switch them over to Blue Buffalo.

8-14-09, at the breeder's in Dubois, PA

Nittany was our first puppy. She is a purebred Toy Fox Terrier. I had wanted a TFT for years and found a breeder in Dubois. We communicated for about 2 years before I graduated from college and moved out. I let the breeder know I was ready to take a puppy and by waiting that long, I was at the top of the waiting list! We got Nittany on August 14, 2009. I couldn't even sleep the night before we drove to get her. I almost cried the minute I picked her up. She only weighs 9 pounds full-grown, so she is like a perpetual puppy. It never gets old to me. She was my first baby and still is my number one snuggler. 

Nittany, 6 months old with her cast. She also lost a lot of her fur in patches due to stress.

Nittany broke her leg about a month before our wedding. It was a freak accident and we spent the next 6 weeks driving her weekly an hour away to Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center (PVSEC). She had to wear a hot pink cast! She had to be held or in her crate at all times because her cast was bigger than her and she had to keep it as still as possible. I think this is why Nittany is so friendly today. Being held constantly as a puppy and riding in the car made her an excellent car-rider and she loves everyone. Nittany has never met anyone she didn't like!

Luna, 3-18-10

We rescued Luna March 18, 2010. She is an American Eskimo/Pomeranian Mix. She was just a ball of fur the first time we saw her. When I look at pictures of Luna as a puppy, and now how she looks today, I can't believe she's the same dog. She has changed drastically. Luna was a destructive puppy and very, very shy from the day we got her. She still is extremely timid around people she doesn't know. Luna is the most amazing watch dog. She has the meanest bark of any dog I know. She snarls and snaps and drools when someone knocks at our door. She is ready to rip off the leg of any stranger. She is the sweetest dog to Ryan and me, and to our families, but she is exactly the kind of dog you want guarding your house. She is definitely my dog and is always wherever I am. The only other person she would stay with besides us is my mom. And even then she gets incredibly homesick and won't eat while we are away. 

Luna, Winter 2010

Ryan and I got extremely lucky with Nittany and Luna. They both slept through the night from their first night home with us, and they were relatively easy to house train. They know some basic tricks and listen really well. We can go away for up to 12 hours without them going in the house and they never, ever destroy anything. So of course we went and turned our perfect lives upside down by getting a puppy :o)

I was looking on From Heaven to Earth's website Sunday evening and came across a little girl named Sugar. She looked similar to Luna as a puppy, except she was black with some white. Ah, I instantly thought she was perfect! She was listed as an American Eskimo/Border Collie mix. I showed her to Ryan who also thought she was super cute. I called the rescue center and they told me she was about 10 weeks old and had come to the shelter with 3 other sisters, who were all adopted already. I told them I would call back in the morning. Ryan said he would get on the computer and research that breed and consider it. We discovered that people actually purposely breed the American Eskimo and Border Collie together and they are called a Ski-Board. Ryan never mentioned her to me later that night and I didn't bring her up. I figured if he wanted to get her he would start that discussion. We went to bed without mentioning her again. 

Monday morning I woke up and decided to work out first thing. I was about half way through my workout when Ryan texted me. It said, "Tell h2e we will come get her." I ran upstairs and was yelling "What!? Seriously?! What?!" Ryan started laughing and said, "I'm serious. We can get her." 

We packed up the car for the 2 hour 15 minute trip. We knew instantly when we saw Sugar that she would be coming home with us. Right away she came to us and wanted to be held. She was also active and pranced around the private room H2E gives you when you visit their shelter. She was lively and happy. Ryan was beaming. I'm sure I had a giant smile plastered on my face as well. We signed all the paperwork and headed home.

Coala, 4-30-12

We had a really difficult time trying to think of a name for Sugar. We passed a mining museum on the way home and I said we should try to name her something to do with the mining industry (she's mostly black and Ryan works for one of Consol's mines.) We decided to name her Coala (pronounced Cola). It is the perfect name for her.

I was nervous introducing Nittany and Luna to Coala. I let them outside when we got home and Ryan was already out in the yard with Coala. It was if they didn't even know she was there. They were happy to see Ryan and then looked at her and ran off to the field. There's been a few snarls and growls in the kitchen with all three of them, but I think within a few weeks they will be getting along fine. They have no choice but to get used to each other! Coala slept through the night last night and hasn't had an in-house accident yet. Ryan and I are on top of taking her out every hour and really praising her when she goes outside. Being a Ski-Board, she will be an extremely intelligent dog and eager to please. I think she will absolutely love her new home with us. We are so happy to have made the decision to add another puppy to our family.

Coala, 5-1-12