Our black labrador retriever, Leroy, has been with us a long time. He just turned 14 and is in pretty good health. In his younger days, Leroy was Olympic level fetch master. He could sprint non-stop. Nowadays, his arthritis is bad, but if you have a ball, he will still run hard to get it and bring it back to you.
We decided to get a second dog, a puppy, to overlap with Leroy getting near end of life. At first, we eyed breeders with their mini golden retriever varieties. However, like with Leroy, we decided to go back to the ASPCA.
- Name: Mixolydian Blossom Lipka
- Nickname: Mixie
- Birth date: Jan 2, 2026
- Breed: Siberian Husky / German Shepherd (Pending DNA report)
- Personality: Curious, friendly to dogs and people
- Coat color: Brindle
At first, Leroy was ultra excited to be around Mixie. But after a couple of days, he is settled down and somehow has been trying to teach Mixie the ropes. I swear he was trying to get her to pee outside.
We are trying to train her, but the first few days have had many mishaps. She is very treat focused, so training is moving steadily.
She is small now, but she should grow to be similar to Leroy in size. We feel good about our new family member. Photos below.
Whatya think?