Meet Angus! He’s the newest fluffy member of our family, a blue merle miniature Australian shepherd who we’ve been calling Gus Gus ever since picking him up from the farm. We went back and forth between names and the kids settled on Gus pretty much right off the bat. We’ve always loved the name Angus and seeing him frolic around it just sort of it. Isn’t he a peach!?
We’ve been keeping an eye out for this breed of dog for a long time now and this little fella tumbled into our laps. Andrew had an Australian shepherd named Lucky while growing up and he was such a loyal friend and companion. We always talked about getting “a Lucky dog” one day when the kids were a bit older and we were out of the sleepless baby phase, and here we are! We found a breeder who raises mini Aussies on a farm outside of the city and we immediately fell in love when we saw his picture. His markings are gorgeous, along with that sweet speckled nose and one blue eye. He’s just beautiful.
We used to have a pup named Leon, our feisty, little French Pug mix. He was our first baby and we got him when we moved to Kansas City from Iowa after getting married. I grew up with a pug and love their tender but stubborn personalities. Unfortunately when Alfie was born and shortly after we moved into this house things changed for him in a number of challenging ways, and to be honest, it made life really hard for awhile. I had postpartum depression and was having to closely monitor our dog’s behavior with our new baby which made me ridiculously nervous. I could go on with stories and about how badly we wanted to keep him, but the best thing for him (and us) meant he was to live elsewhere. I’ve had people message over the years and now recently with things like, why didn’t we love our old dog? How come we never shared our story about Leon before? Was he not Insatgrammy enough? Hilarious. And hogwash. We still love him very much and he’s is doing well with his new family. Anyone who has had to say goodbye to a pet knows the heartache that goes along with that process, no matter the cause. Our first furry pup will always have a big chunk of our hearts.
It can be hard to share the messy bits of our lives online because the nature of the internet. It’s an interesting balance to share are stories and photos to paint a picture while still maintaining a sense of privacy on here. Some people get mad when you over share, and then get mad when you don’t share enough! I’ve just learned to do what feels right for us, expectations of others and judgement aside. This is part of our story that we are happy to share because we believe in power of storytelling and the beauty of what being vulnerable and open can do. Stories remind us that we are not alone and that we are all more alike than we might feel like sometimes. All broken. All tying. And all doing our best. With that, we are over the moon to have this new pup join our family in this season of our lives. And he’s fitting right in!
Besides being “a Lucky dog,” we went with this breed because they are incredibly loving, loyal and wickedly smart, have high-energy, are good with kids, and tend to be on the smaller size. We wanted a pup who would be born and raised on a farm before taking him home with us, and Gus Gus was just that. His mama was a tri on the small side (almost a toy) and his papa was a blue merle like Gus but full-grown, about 14 inches from the shoulders down. Our pup slept in my arms as we rode along country roads all the way home and didn’t make a peep in his kennel all night. We woke up once to let him out and then he peed a little on the floor when we got him up before breakfast. We were expecting him to whimper a lot but he cozied right up in his kennel and did better than we had hoped. This morning Andrew fastened a little string of bells on the front door so we can ring that when we take him out and teach him to do the same. My brother has an Aussie mixed breed who rings the bell when he has to go outside and he told us to try it with Angus. We can already tell he is very smart but he’s also a big-time cuddle bub. I put on Little Bear for Theo this morning while Alfie napped and Gus hopped up for his morning nap alongside his brother. Seeing him there pressed up against my sensitive Theodore about made me cry! What a blessing this pup already is to our family.
Anna - what a sweetheart!!! i could watch the story of theo and angus sleeping on the couch over and over – it is just so heartwarming! how old is angus?
admin - Anna, I saved that one 🙂 he is 8 weeks old. x Amanda
Susannah - He is such a cutie!!! <3
Sabrina - Congratulations for this new family member!
Eleanor - First, Gus Gus is adorable <3 Second, Thank you so much for sharing and then re-sharing your story about PPD. I just read your previous post on your PPD it is so very thoughtful and beautifully written and brave.
admin - Eleanor, oh you’re welcome. x Amanda
Lisa - Oh what a little sweetheart! You’ve chosen the perfect breed. We have a stumpy tail Aus cattle dog (very similar in nature & temperament to shepherds) and she is the sweetest, smartest & most loyal pup. She’s ball crazy and can run for hours but she’s also happy to snuggle on the couch all day when one of us is sick. The other day I accidentally left our side gate open, the postal lady found her asleep on our driveway! I imagine you’ll have similar experiences with your little Gus. Enjoy the crazy cute puppy stage 😊
Lori Ann - So dear! That first pic just got me! So glad you found a doggy for your family – and to grow with your children. And thank you for all of your wonderful posts and beautiful photos. I appreciate your sharing.
Belinda - He is adorable! And I know the pain of having to give up a loved dog. It’s a horrible decision but it was in the best interests of the pup and our family – not just one or the other. i hope little Gus brings you guys much joy
admin - Belinda, yeah it was really hard. – still is. We are so happy to have a pup in our lives again. x Amanda
Kali - Congrats you guys! We got our first pup, a chocolate lab named Cash at six weeks old and it was seriously the perfect way for me to test out my mothering skills. When we had our little guy a year later, I legit felt like a human infant was easier! At least they don’t move around right away. Ha! I wouldn’t trade those crazy pup days for the world, though. I love our pup so much and can’t even think what our family would be like without him. He and Emmett are the best of friends now too, which is just about the cutest thing ever.
So happy for you guys!!!
admin - Kali, aww I love the name Cash! The kids are bonding so well with him and that makes us so happy. Alf is still a little unsure being the baby after all 🙂 Thanks for sharing! We are pretty excited about this new chapter. x Amanda
Sam - This post really took me back in time. I grew up with Australian Shepherds – in fact, when I was ten my parents told me that if I saved enough money I could buy an Aussie pup of my own. His name was Silver and he had such a striking resemblance to your Gus! So many years of happiness and friendship – I have no doubt your family will enjoy the same.
admin - Sam, this story is melting me! I bet your sweet Silver was your best friend like my childhood pup, Yoda. He was a fawn pug and so darn cute! We love hearing Aussie stories – Andrew is reliving his childhood right now 😉 x Amanda
Lacy - Had to comment and let you know about our Angus “Gus-Gus”. He was the sweetest and most gentle little Cairn Terrier that we rescued many many years ago. The name we gave him was Angus, but we called him Gus. In his later years as he lost his hearing his name became Gus-Gus as we had to call him twice in order to get his attention. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of him and recount stories of his adventures. He was our “heart dog” and is so very missed.
admin - Lacy, I’m so glad you did! Your Gus Gus sounds like the most tender soul. We are all so attached to our little guy and are incredibly happy he’s now a part of our family. I love hearing stories like yours, they are so special. x Amanda
Paulina - Thank you for sharing a little about giving up your former dog. My husband and i are in the middle of deciding whether to do the same for our miniature dachshund Rudy, who I adore (he’s curled up next to me under a blanket now). We had our first baby a little over a year ago and i think parenthood has been harder than what my husband was expecting and the stress of dealing with the very stubborn dog is something he doesn’t want to have to deal with anymore. He also doesn’t see dogs as much part of the family like I do, so it’s hard for me to accept that finding him a new home wouldn’t be abandoning him..
All in all it helps me to hear stories of loving responsible people who have had to relocate their pets for the best interest of their family.
Also, I grew up with an adopted Australian Shepard mix, Speck, who was the best sweetest smartest dog so I’m sure your Gus will be a great addition to the family!
I”ve been a follower of yours on Instagram for a few years (and it’s absolutely my favorite account) and this is my first time really reading your blog, so thank you for sharing!