We have been looking to add a dog to our family, and were heartbroken when a friend's recent offer of a puggle puppy fell through. Since then, searching Petfinder together has become a daily ritual, and today we visited a local animal shelter with a couple of dogs to check out.

If I had the room and the time, I would have brought all the dogs (and cats) home, but with a small house and unfenced yard, we let Lilly capture our hearts. A 5 month-old beagle/chihuahua/rat terrier mix, she jumped into my arms and held on, wagging her tail and licking my face. She should fit in well with our cats Neko and Rilo, she got along well with the cats at the shelter.

Now we're getting the house ready for her arrival tomorrow (she's being spayed today).