Say Hello To Levi!

As promised (although it's a bit later than I anticipated), here is the post where I introduce my new furbaby. I got him just over two weeks ago, and he has already changed my life. He's a Dachshund/Chihuahua mix (otherwise known as a chiweenie), and he's four months old.

I've had a lot of people ask how I came up with the name Levi. One of my friends had told me I should name him Leviathan (because he's always wanted a dog named Leviathan), and I thought, "Hey, I could shorten that and name him Levi. I like the sound of that." I later was reminded by both my mother and my grandmother on separate occasions that my great-grandfather's name was Levi, so that kind of sealed the deal for me. That little fact added a bit of sentimental value to the name.

Levi is a little cuddle bug. He absolutely looooooooves attention. I've noticed he has two speeds: running around wildly or stopped. We went to my parents' house in Oklahoma this past weekend and Levi got a big kick out of running around my parents' property without a leash. Since I live in an apartment in the city, he doesn't have a yard to run around in. I take him for a walk almost every day, and he enjoys that, but he really liked being able to do what he wanted instead of what I was telling him to do.

He's also extremely affectionate. I like that about him, because I wanted a puppy so I would have a companion in my new apartment (I went from living with three other girls and a cat to living my myself). We're still training, but he knows how to give kisses on command (and not on command). He just started teething, so we're working on not biting while giving kisses or playing. He's mostly potty trained, though, which I count as a huge victory seeing as I've only had him for two weeks.

He likes to wake up early (as in between 5:00 and 6:00 AM every day)...which I don't necessarily like, but I definitely need it. I'm using him as my motivation to get up early and be productive (not that he gives me much of a choice). We usually go for walks in the morning, but this evening we went for a walk/run around campus, and now I know he can keep up with me when I run. Actually, if we're being honest, I had trouble keeping up with him...

He's so incredibly playful. He likes to hide under the couch and run laps around the living room. If we're playing, he'll run underneath the couch and suddenly run out at top speed (kind of startling if you're face-to-face with him). He has a crab with a squeaker in it which is currently his favorite toy. He's also taken quite a liking to rawhide bones.

He's so incredibly smart. Like I mentioned earlier, he's already mostly potty trained, and he's learning how to communicate with me when he needs to go outside or when he's hungry. He doesn't like it when I leave, but I think he's learning that I'll come back. He knows to go sit in the hall when I start putting his food down (that was completely unintentional, honestly, but I'm glad he's learned that habit early).

All in all, I love this sweet boy. Yes, he frustrates me sometimes, but he's totally worth it. I don't know what I would do without him.

Love Always,

Kristin