Homecoming Goodness

Be prepared to be inundated with tons of adorable puppy pictures! Picking up Rio and introducing him to his new home was a blast!

(Someone must have told Rio that the way to win my heart is by snuggling his head on my shoulder.)

In case you haven't figured it out yet, Rio is a transfer puppy. About eight weeks ago, my club leader told me about three lab puppies that were coming to Utah that weekend. Two had homes, but the third was a starter puppy. She asked if I would be interested in finishing the pup. My intention had been to start my own puppy, but on a whim I said yes and cannot be happier with my decision.

(Rio cuddling on my lap outside my friend's condo.)

I thought all three pups coming were female black labs. That was almost right because two were. I laughed out loud when I found out that the starter puppy was a male yellow lab. All four of my puppies have been MYLs. If I ever raise anything different, I won't know what to do.

The day Rio came to Utah, we had evaluations with our CFR. It was at that meeting that I found out that Rio was officially mine. My CFR also let our club guess his name. It only took about 30 seconds to guess Rio. I love Rio's name! It's my favorite puppy name and the only one I would have chosen for a pet dog. (Sorry Turk, Mesa, and Kyle.)

Rio was started by the leader of the club to the north of us. I never got to meet Rio in person before yesterday, but I did get to see pictures of him via a text, a blog, and facebook. I couldn't wait to see the boy in person.

 (Holding Rio out so that I could see his adorable face.)

Ever since my first puppy club had two gorgeous red colored yellow labs, I've longed for a red puppy of my own. Rio fulfilled my wish! I'm seriously so excited about his darker color.

(Red Rio showing off his fun speckled nose.)

I wasn't the only person eagerly anticipating Rio's arrival. My neighbors, friends, club members, family, and students we're all excited to meet him as well.

(Rio meeting my neighbor. She loves my puppies and is super excited that Rio plays gently.)

Of course, the most important meeting was when I introduced Kyle and Rio. Things couldn't have gone better!

 (The first sniffs as I let Kyle free from his kennel.)

Kyle and Rio are adorable when they play together. Kyle is great at matching his play style to other dogs' styles, so the boys hit it off well from the start.

 (Kyle and Rio sniffed each other for about two seconds before they began roughhousing.)

To wrap up the massive amounts of pictures, I took the boys into the backyard for some shots in their puppy vests.

 (Kyle whispering secrets into Rio's ears. Hopefully he was giving Rio tips for being the best guide pup possible.)

Rio needed a head shot for our club website. He is about the easiest puppy to photograph. I just love this adorable face!

(Rio with an charming head tilt and wrinkly eyebrows.)

After all the camera happiness, it was time to just snuggle Kyle and Rio. My friend Katie was with me to pick up Rio, and she acted as our photographer. Since both boys wanted attention, Katie stuck around, and we took turns cuddling both puppies.

 (Rio enjoying Katie's lap.)

There are tons more pictures and stories, and Rio hasn't even been home for 24 hours. The next year with Rio is going to be a great one!