Well...it's not going to happen. I'm not going to get into why. I'm almost crying looking at her picture. I just hope the rescue will let me know when they do find her a home. I asked them to. No more talk about dogs for me. As much as I want one, it's just not going to happen.

So I've posted on here before about how I've adopted a couple of dogs at different times and they didn't work out, mostly because I was afraid they'd never get along with my cats and my dad was freaking out about 'all the extra work HE would have to do', etc. Well, it's been over a year since all of that happened with the last dog and my parents were all 'We're never adopting a dog ever again' and I figured that was the end of it. Thing is, I really want a dog. So pretty much that whole time I've been looking on Craigslist and Petfinder and some humane society sites. A few weeks ago, this one little dog, a min pin/chihuahua mix, caught my eye. I figured I'd put in an application just to see if I'd get OK'd and I was talking to my parents about getting a dog again. My mom's pretty much all for it, she loves dogs a ton, but my dad is all negative nancy all the time, so who really knows what he's thinking ever. The thing is...I found out today that I was accepted to adopt her. So after going back and forth, yes and no, with my parents all day, we're going to adopt her on Monday. That is, unless my dad shitcans the whole deal again. I'm afraid to be excited though, because of past disappointments in having dogs not work out with my cats. My mom asked me today: "Don't you love your cats anymore?" And that really hurt because I DO love my cats, more than anything, and that will never change. They're my babies and my best friends. But I want to add another little fuzzy to that mix, because I have a better job now and I have the time and money to handle it. I will never stop wanting a dog and so finding this one and falling head over heels with her little face, it just feels right this time and I really hope it is. I really hope this works out. If you believe in God or a Goddess or whatever deity/the Universe, whatever...I could really use your prayers and good thoughts right now.

Any tips/tricks on introducing a new dog to two very spoiled kitties would be appreciated, as well as any tips in general.

Feel free to share adoption stories too and how it worked out for you.

[edit] This is the pup in question. Her name is Lisa Ling right now, but I'm going to change it to Lily...since my name is Lisa, lol.

In my experience, its best to start the dog out in a crate when you first bring her home. Having the dog burst in saying hello to the cats is just going to start on a bad note. I would suggest introducing the dog to the cats individually so as not to overwhelm the puppy. And it would probably be better for you to hold her and let the cats come up to her. Dogs tend to be more excitable than cats are willing to deal with

Have you considered adopting through a rescue group that will allow you to do a trial prior to finalizing the adoption? I work with a rescue and that is how we do every adoption, as we do not want to place an animal in a home where they don't fit with the family, and we don't want the adopter to feel guilty about returning the animal if this is the case. Will the agency that you are adopting through do a home check prior to finalizing the adoption? This will allow a representative of the rescue to assist in introducing the animals and providing you with tips on how to get your cats used to the new dog. Have your cats disliked each dog that you have taken in? Or have the dogs been cat-aggressive?