My first baby

My favorite picture of her - 7 weeks old, sleeping on my slippers.

I have wanted a dog my whole life. No exaggeration, I promise. Both of my siblings had dogs to call their own, as did my Mom and Dad, but apparently 4 dogs was the cut off. And then I moved out of the house when I was 18, and despite the crazy desire to run out and buy the next puppy I saw, was smart enough to recognize that my life would be completely unpredictable for the next who knows how many years. The apartment hopping life just isn't really a life for a dog. So I can not tell you how excited I was when my husband told me last year for my birthday that we could get a dog.

I had never spent any time around boxers before. The few I had seen I thought were kind of ugly. The only reason I decided to go look at the puppies I saw advertised in the paper was because my husband had a boxer named Lady as a teenager, and I knew how much he had loved that dog.

My baby at six weeks - those first few days after I brought her home. <3

It was truly love at first sight. From the first time I met her, Sadie and I were fast friends. She chose me, really, continually coming out from the litter to demand my attention. I was very happy to oblige. And since that day, she has been my baby.

She is so precious when she's sleepy - and my favorite napping partner!

She is truly spoiled. Hopefully not rotten, but both my husband and I have such a soft spot for her, I know she gets away with much more than we should allow. But for more than a year now, she has been one of the brightest spots in every day. Always happy, always looking for love and attention, way too smart for her own good, and a genius at using the sad puppy eyes to get more from us (more scratching, more play time.. just more).

See? Spoiled.

And now with a real baby on the way, I'm worried about her. She is an attention hungry dog. What will happen when I don't have as much time for her? It breaks my heart to think of her feeling neglected or pushed aside.
My husband and I are seriously considering adopting a male boxer, 3 years old and neutered, to be her companion. My hope is that this eases the transition for her. A friend to play with. But I'm  nervous. Is that just one more thing to take our attention away from her? Is it too much to take on with a baby on the way? Or is it helpful, keeping her occupied and happy?
Any words of advice?