I visited a staff (I think cross) yesterday at a rescue and fell in love totally she was sooooo sweet. Very leggy for a staff and very skinny but the sweetest almond shaped eyes and she looked at me with such longing to take her away from there. (or am i just a sucker lol). Anyway, we are going back again today, with all the kids and the hubby to meet her again, and also the other dog which was recommended to us, also a staff, but a male this time, who was at the vets yesterday being castrated. I already have fallen for the little girlie but think we should meet the little man to be fair to make sure we make the right choice for them and us. Also they like to meet everyone in the house. We will make a decision when we get home today as to which dog we will choose, as it is already a yes yes yes for the girlie unless the little man manages to steal our hearts more. I will go back on Sunday to do the questionnaire and organise the home check (which I am soooo nervous about) and the rescue has agreed that they can keep whichever dog for us for a couple of weeks for us to get fully prepared ie food, bed, crate etc. I am going to also ask that throughout those 2 weeks, we can visit a few times a week to take the dog out for a short walk ie 20 mins or so with a couple of the kids each time to that by the time the dog comes to live with us, he or she will recognise us and not feel so alone if that makes sense. We should be a familiar face to the dog making them feel a little more comfortable. I am also going to get the crate and vet bed asap and take it in for the week before he or she comes home to get used to it with the door open and then that will be something else familiar to have as a comfort when coming here instead of facing a new bed with strange smells straight away.

Anyone else have any suggestions on how to make the move smooth as possible?

Also, the dogs have been given names in the rescue which I dont much like and they dont recognise them anyway as they havnt been there long enough.

The girl is black, quite delicate looking, very small feel with white tips, and some white on her chest. The names I have come up with so far are Ebony, Star, and Luna. The reason for Luna, is that it means moon which is my MILs name, and my 14 month old daughters middle name so it has a connection with our family. I love the name ebony but i think it would be better for an all black dog. Star, I like but it isnt very different and I like unusual but easy to say names for training. My fav is Luna. She is at the moment called Joplin.

The boy is called Toby and is black and white patchy. I am thinking he looks like a pirate lol so his name could be captain jack sparrow, with either captain or sparrow as his quick name for training etc.

What do you think? xxx