Mario Luigi Poulsen

We got a dog!

We've wanted a dog for years but knew we wanted to wait until we didn't have babies at home. Our previous landlord didn't allow pets, but when we found out our current landlord is cool with dogs we got excited! We realized we didn't want to jump into such a big life change without making sure we were serious about it, so we marked the calendar for one month away to re-discuss getting a dog. At the end of June, we both still agreed that we wanted a dog as long as it was the right fit. We had been keeping an eye on local animal shelters in case any dog caught our eye, but nothing really stood out. Austin was looking at work one day and texted me a link to "Travis," and it was a very nice, happy looking dog. It ended up being the only dog that both of us were interested enough in to set up a visit at the shelter to meet. 

My first impression was that he was very docile and also very large....I always imagined that we would have a smaller dog as our pet since I grew up with a mini wiener dog, but Travis definitely did not fit that bill. He was so calm, so sweet, and seemed like he just wanted some love, so we left the meeting telling the adoption employees that we would think about it over the weekend and get back to them. We ended up thinking about it for an hour haha and emailing right away. We knew Travis was ours! He is house-trained, not aggressive, very patient, quiet, and so sweet. We had to wait for a week and a half because we didn't want to adopt him before our Yellowstone trip, but his foster family was fine with keeping him for a little longer. We were excited but nervous to adopt a dog...we've never done this before! They answered all our questions and were so helpful making us feel prepared to bring Travis home. 

When we officially decided that we were going to adopt Travis, we asked the kids what we should name him (since he didn't really feel like a "Travis"). Stockton, without hesitation, said, "Mario!" and it stuck no matter what we suggested or encouraged. So, after Yellowstone, on July 22nd, we came to Black Dog Animal Rescue to adopt our big Mario. He was excited to be in the car but also so big that he was unstable since no surface was really wide enough for him to completely balance on. He seemed very happy but still very chill. I was nervous because Austin was working 45 minutes away in Wheatland on this day so he couldn't come pick Mario up with us, so I had all 4 kids and a new dog, but it worked out great : ) 

The kids were delighted with everything that Mario did - wagging his tail, yawning, licking his lips, climbing onto the front seat, climbing over Jack and Natalie in the back seat, sniffing Claire's toes, and sticking his head out the window. They were chattering and giggling the entire ride (and really, the entire day). We were all so excited to have a new member of the family!

^^I like his happy reflection in this picture 

We got home and Claire promptly threw her first ever real toddler tantrum. It wasn't related to Mario (I actually don't remember what she was mad about haha), but it was so unusual for her that we all just kind of stared and waited to see what she would do next. 

Stockton introduced Mario to the backyard, and showed him all over the house. One of the nice things about Mario is that he isn't a barker, hardly at all. He maybe barks once a day. 

The boys were THRILLED when Mario drank the water that they put out for him. You can see Stockton practically levitating ^^

Stockton didn't put the leash down most of the day. He still is kind of fascinated with it even weeks later.

We all just sort of followed him around and admired him all day! He couldn't have been sweeter or calmer. I couldn't believe that he was so easy to be around. I love how his tail has that little swoop curl at the end. 

He is exceedingly patient with all of Claire's pokings and pullings. The other kids know better but Claire is pretty rough with him. I was worried how he would react but he never really even bats an eye. When she goes too far he just calmly gets up and removes himself from the situation (like the other day when he was sleeping and she straight up stood on his NECK, I was so mad). He is an amazing dog for children!

I love these pictures of Stockton and Mario at the window. Sweet boys!

It didn't take long for Mario to figure out where his main source of human food would come from. Claire is his little food supplier, dropping bites to him while she eats. He loves human food. He isn't ever aggressive about stealing it or even begging for it, but he will sort of wait quietly and hope to pull a plate off the counter or lick a bowl on the table. Weirdly the one thing in our snack cube that he always goes for is the graham crackers. I can't figure out why a dog would love graham crackers haha but that's Mario!

Sometimes he goes off and finds a quiet place to lay down, but a lot of the time he plops down wherever we are. I love when he hangs out with me in the kitchen. 

I put Claire down for her nap pretty soon after we got home from picking Mario up, and I got kind of worried because Mario was already laying down in there and I wasn't sure if they would bother each other. I peeked in to check on them a few minutes later and they were both cozy and fast asleep. I didn't have any doubts about Mario after that. He is part of the family!

Claire loves giving him kisses, which is as cute and sweet as it sounds. 

Austin finally got home and got to meet him! They spent time in the backyard getting to know each other. Mario doesn't really like to play with toys or play fetch; his favorite thing is just being cozy and near us, which of course we love. 

His dog bed moved around the house all day, the kids bringing it to whichever room Mario wandered into. It lives permanently in our room at the foot of our bed now, but it was cute that the kids were trying to make him so comfortable. 

The Sweet King ... we love him so much!

He did great on our first walk! I wanted to wait until Austin was home because I wasn't sure how Mario would behave on a leash and I didn't want to be pushing Claire in the stroller at the same time if he was going to be too much to handle. He never pulled too hard or took off running though, and seemed calm around other dogs, so I quickly felt more confident taking him for walks with all of us. We got a harness instead of clipping the leash to his collar, and that helped a lot. 

Mario made himself very at home in our bed, which amused all of us haha. We had to carry him over to his dog bed that first night when we were ready to go to sleep. He still sleeps on our bed every day, but usually relocates himself at night after he goes out. A few times though we've had to carry him, and he doesn't seem to like it very much, being removed from his warm spot. That first night he was in his dog bed when we fell asleep, but then in the middle of the night I heard him get up and come over to lay on the floor next to me, which pretty much sealed the deal of him being the best doggie ever. He is such a love! 

The boys tried really hard to get Mario to stay in their room, and he obliged for a little bit and then came to find Mom and Dad, and we were okay with that : ) 

We love our Mar. He has come out of his shell in the weeks that he's been with us, and it's so fun and happy to know that he loves us and is happy to be with us. He seeks out our company and our cuddles but isn't ever needy. He never has accidents and doesn't get anxious when he's alone. He is good at seeking out his own private space when he feels overwhelmed by too much noise or too many people, and we have never seen him so much as growl at our kids or friends. He is just a sweet, kind, buddy kind of dog and we are so happy he is with us!