Basics of Trooper

I never thought that having a high maintenance puppy in college could be a smart move. I even discouraged my friends from adopting puppies. I secretly scorned those who didn't walk their dogs enough or didn't clean their fish's bowl enough or spent money on booze rather than kitty litter. No one saw Trooper coming.

My close friends and roommates from sophomore year had decided to move into an apartment complex that I was not fond of, so I decided to step out on my own. I found a cute little house built in the 1920s and moved in, alone. I figured: I have a boyfriend, I won't be lonely. False.

First, I had my sights set on a sugar glider. You know, those little flying squirrels. But, my mom thought that since they are marsupials, they carry diseases. Then I did some research on bunnies and guinea pigs. I found out that they smell horrific. Finally, I decided my only option was a small dog. I researched and researched and presented my case to my animal-loving parents.

Small, hypoallergenic, minimal exercise requirements, minimal feeding requirements, watchdog capable, intelligent and adorable.

After some persuasion, they agreed, and our search began.

We picked two hybrid breeds out of hundreds: the morkie (maltese and yorkie) and the yorkiepoo (miniature poodle and yorkie). We searched hundreds of ads, contacted many breeders and settled on one precious little fluff ball.

He was eight weeks old, tri-colored and less than two pounds. Irresistible.

The breeder had named him "Buttons" because he was much more petite and feminine than his littermate sister. From the pictures I studied online, I thought he looked more like a "Ralph" because he looked like a Ralph Lauren model.

The breeder that had Buttons/Ralph was about two hours outside my hometown of St. Louis, so my mom went to pick him up for me. Then, I drove 10 hours from Auburn, Alabama to the Lou to pick up the little munchkin.

And there, our journey began.

To recap: The Basics

Name: Trooper

Age: 20 weeks

Weight: 4.5 pounds

Color: Blond, Black and White

Behavior: Naughty...Perfect...depends on the hour