We’ve done a bit of everything our first morning together.

We’ve played with a rope toy and an over-sized bone. We’ve spent a few minutes outside in the sun. We’ve had our first taste of peanut butter. And, of course, we’ve taken multiple naps (well, he has, not me) and had multiple accidents (again, him, not me).

All in all, it’s been a pretty busy day so far.

If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m talking about Caspian, our new pup. He’s a six-week-old (today) Lab mix. A mix of what, we are not sure, but from the jowls and the shape of his head, we are thinking probably some kind of hound.

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that it hasn’t been that long since we lost our beloved Lucy. It’s been a difficult time for all us as we have grieved over our family member. And make no mistake about it — she was a family member and it has been a grieving process.

But everyone we have talked to has said that the best way to get over the loss of a pet is to get another one as soon as possible. Just a day or so after Lucy’s death, an old friend posted to Facebook that she knew someone with free puppies. The accompanying picture was the spitting image of Lucy — obvious Lab, solid black, white spot on the chest, brushed white toes. We were intrigued, but it was too soon after the accident to make a commitment. We knew that another dog was in our future, but this soon? We just weren’t sure.

After much deliberation, we decided to go have a look last Monday night. Of the 10 pups in the litter, six were already definitely spoken for, and there was one female and three males left. The female had been seen and that family had first dibs. Seeing them was all it took. We picked out a male — again, very similar to Lucy — and made arrangement to pick him up yesterday.

When we got there, one of the other females in the little had to be returned, so we had a choice — a female like Lucy or the male with the butterfly mark that we had already chosen. In the end, it wasn’t really a choice. The little guy had won all three of our hearts.

So far, he’s been a pretty good pup. We obviously have some work to do in the potty training department (ugh), but his first night with us was pretty uneventful. He slept peacefully at our feet on our bed and when I woke up this morning, Caspian had migrated up between our pillows. (The name, if you are interested, is part of a theme — both Lucy and Caspian are from The Chronicles of Narnia, one of Grant’s favorites.)

Like I said, losing Lucy has been hard, much harder than I think that any of us expected it to be. And while we were skeptical at first about bringing another dog into the family this soon, I’m sensing that it was the right thing to do. Grant was on pins and needles the entire weekend until we picked up Caspian, and has wanted to show him off to everyone he sees. It’s been good for LaDonna and I as well.

No dog will ever replace Lucy. She was a special pup and will always have a spot in all of our hearts that no other pet will ever be able to replace. But as I have said before, we are dog people, and dog people have dogs.

And now we have Caspian. More, most definitely, to come.undefinedundefinedundefined