#348 New Dog

We got a new puppy for Christmas. The kids have been asking for a dog for a long time. Kathleen joined the chorus last month when a neighbor was looking for a home for a rescued puppy. That puppy got adopted though before Kathleen could convince me to adopt. However, after reading Maria's letter to Santa, I also was convinced that it was time for a Christmas surprise.

Nash, our driver, was my local contact to find a dog. I wanted a good family dog with short hair and large enough to take running with me. I downloaded a collection of pictures of breeds in which I was interested and showed Nash. He said that the labrador was the only breed that he thought we could find in Suzhou. He made a call and located a source. On Christmas eve, Nash and I picked up the dog and stashed him for the night with our new neighbors, Leon and Autumn.

Christmas morning, Autumn brought the dog to our house at 8 AM and surprised the kids. It took a moment for them to realize that the dog was theirs, then there was an outbreak of major excitement. The name Patrick was proposed by Joseph and quickly endorsed by the rest of the kids and Kathleen. Patrick is the Chinese Yellow Lab with the Irish name.