Fun things to know about my new puppy Charley.

Things to know about Charley.

~ He is a coton de tulear, or more casually, a coton, pronounced “koh-TAHN.”

~ Charley was born July 13, which makes him just shy of three months old. He weighed six pounds at the vet September 30 and should grow to between 12 and 15 pounds as an adult. Technically, he was my fiancee’s birthday present, six months late, but Amy has declared him to be our dog, not hers.

~ With the exceptions of barking to get attention and nipping when playful, Charley is an extremely well-adjusted and well-behaved puppy. He is friendly and only a little bit shy; when confined he is paper-trained.

~ He likes his crate and sleeps through the night without complaint, unless we return home late—say, from a wedding at 3 a.m.—at which point he gets rambunctious and keeps me busy for two hours of play time.

~ Charley will chew on anything he can find. Literally. He likes his toys and anything stringed, like shoelaces, but he has discovered everything from pillowcases to cardboard boxes to the molding on the kitchen doorway.

~ He likes to see the world from his travel bag (well, he doesn’t complain) and he is very relaxed in a car (but not a taxi, just like his mommy).

~ Charley doesn’t shed, which helps keep the apartment looking clean. He does have stinky poop, which does not help keep the apartment smelling clean.

~ We have a webcam that allows us to monitor the puppy during the day. We did it for security purposes, but it’s just plain fun. (I’m not posting the URL online but it is available upon request.)

~ Having a puppy is hard, hard work, and worth every minute of it.