AGONIPPE Thank you, Greg, for the facelift. [agonnipe]
I got my new puppy, Grendel, drunk Tuesday night.

It was an accident! Really, I knocked over my beer, and by the time I ran back with a fistful of paper towels, he was lapping it up. El Burrachito.

I am such a bad parent.

We went to the vet for the first time yesterday. He�s fine, � 12.7 pounds � but we had fleas. I think he came with them � I certainly didn�t give him the fleas.

So, I bathed him for the first time yesterday. I turned it into a game. He loves the oscillating sprinkler in the front yard, and while he stalked and attacked the streams of water, I scrubbed him with baby shampoo. And then, once he was dry, I put on the anti-flea/tick/misquito ointment, which I sincerely wish they made for humans. (When he has fleas, I have fleas. Not fun.)

And I think I�m getting used to waking up at 4 a.m. to let him out to go pee. See, until he�s 6 months old, his bladder will need emptying about every 4 hours. It�s a pain in the butt, but�

And that�s the weird part. I�d been playing with the idea of getting a dog for about two years. I basically kept questioning my reasons for wanting a dog. Companionship? Protection?

It turns out, he�s turned into the main reason I get up in the morning.