We have a new puppy at our house! His name is Phidippides (Phi-DIP-i-deez, emphasis on the DIP). He goes by Phidy for short. He was named by my 11 year old after the Ancient Greek runner who inspired the Marathon race. And yes, he loves to run. We found him at the Ames animal shelter and he is a 5 month old chocolate lab. So far, he seems to be very well adjusted. He is adapting to the cats, and they are teaching him the ropes. It is definitely easier having a puppy with our children now 11 and 14 years old than when they were 4 and 6! This time I only have one to watch closely, the other 2 (after many years of training) have to watch out for themselves. They are also quite useful with puppy training and exercising. Look forward to more information on choosing a pet, puppy training, and other related topics, as I am dreaming "sit" "come" "down" "OFF!".