The question I get asked the most about our new puppy is, "What type of breed is your dog?" To be honest, I have no clue.

Ruska has now been with our family for four months, which now makes her our little eight-month-old puppy. She has been an incredible dog and is very smart. Even though she has been an amazing dog to train, we keep forgetting that she is still just a puppy who has the tendencies to get bored and get into trouble. Recently, she made the executive decision while we were at work one day that she didn't like our hallway carpet and would help us out by ripping it up. As smart as she is, I need to still remember that she's still a little puppy who has a lot to learn.

How Ruska came into our lives has been an interesting situation. I started looking to get a new dog that I can take Mountain biking with me during the summer. I started researching which breeds would be the best kind for mountain biking. I found out that the top five best mountain biking dogs are: Blue Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog), Brittany, Pointer (Vizsla), Siberian Husky, and Weimaraner.  Article: Five great Trail Dog Breeds

I started looking around and made the observation that shopping for specific dog breeds is not going to be cheap. I did get feedback from people telling me that I shouldn't buy from a breeder and that there are plenty of dogs out there that need adopting. So, I stopped shopping around and started to look at what the local and surrounding kennels had. I was in no hurry to get a new dog until the day I received a call from a friend who told me "I found you a puppy."

My friend had taken his family on a road trip down to Arizona. On their way down there, they made a pit stop at a small gas station near Gap, AZ that borders a reservation. When they got out of the car my friend noticed three dogs wandering the parking lot searching for food. He told his youngest daughter to grab some dog food and see if those "reservation dogs will come over." She grabbed some from their own dog food and soon enough the dogs came over. The dad then realized that one of the three dogs was a puppy. He then went inside the gas station to ask around if anyone knew whose dogs were wandering the parking lot. The clerk behind the counter told him that those dogs are just strays from the nearby reservation. When he came back outside, he told his family they are taking the puppy with them. Right after that is when I got the call about my new puppy.

Ruska spent the rest of the week with my friends family. I was getting loads of texts from my friend telling me what an amazing dog she is going to be. Even though Ruska has been a part of her new family in Montana for only a few months, she is an amazing addition and it feels like this was meant to be. I hope you enjoy the photos below of our little pup and I will probably be posting more in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read my first blog. Stay tuned next week, I am writing about how I got back into photography.