It was love at first sight when Buckeye met the Shaffer family. We followed up with the Shaffers to find out about life after they got the dog.

The First Day
Right after getting Buckeye, we stopped for lunch at a Baja Fresh and he got a chance to be adorable for lots of people there. We then had a long drive home, and we were delighted to find that he's a great dog in the car. He immediately started to investigate the yard when we got home and seemed to enjoy the freedom and space.

Home Fit for a Pooch
Buckeye has taken to his little Snoopy dog bed. He's got a fluffy comforter in it, and he curls up there to sleep. His favorite toys are stuffed animals. He grabs them and runs around like a little maniac. He also likes to pick up the boys' socks and slippers, but he'll let go of them when you tell him to.

It's a Family Affair
Buckeye fits in great! Over the past few weeks, he's become more and more comfortable and spunky. We've had to show him that we're the boss a few times. He likes food — any kind — especially food that gets left on the kitchen table. He's very smart and finds his way up there, even though he's small. So we have to make sure we don't leave anything out.

Made for Each Other
We call Buckeye "CatDogPig." Technically, he's a dog, but he acts like a cat and sounds like a pig. His temperament is rather stubborn, as you'd expect from a hound, and so he really does what HE wants most of the time. He also wraps himself around your legs like a cat when he wants to be petted. And when he's done playing with you, he just walks away like a cat and stretches out his front paws with his little rump in the air and goes in search of a sunny spot in the house, whether that's the back of the couch or sprawling out on the stairs. He snorts and snores and makes pig noises quite often, especially when he's getting lots of attention. He's just adorable and we love him bunches.

Getting to Know You
We've had to re-install the safety latches on the kitchen cabinets and a safety gate, because he loves to investigate, especially the trash. We also had to figure out what sleeping arrangement would work best. We found that he really doesn't like to be confined to a crate or small room, so he's sleeping in his little bed in the family room each night, and now that we've limited his "investigating," things are working out quite nicely.

Favorite Pooch Pastime
Buckeye loves to play with the boys and his "girlfriend," Daisy, a beagle that lives across the street. They get to spend lots of time in each other's yards and really get along very well!

Paws and Sit
Buckeye knows how to sit, stay, shake a paw and balance on his hind legs while waiting for a treat. But you have to have a treat, or he won't perform. He also heels pretty well on the leash, but we'd like him to be able to not bark whenever he sees another dog.

No One's Perfect
Buckeye has an impressive vertical leap, and so has found his way onto the table to get food, most recently to demolish a gingerbread house that our 4-year-old made for Christmas. He also managed to pull a plate of brownies down from the kitchen counter, because the plate was hanging over the side of the counter. Luckily, he didn't eat any. We've had to learn to push the chairs in to the table and not leave any food out.

He also likes to bark a fair amount when left outside and alone. So we've had his friend Daisy over (see above) when we can, and we've fitted him with a citronella-spray collar when he's outside alone.

We've also had to keep him out of the carpeted areas of the house when we aren't around, as he tends to have accidents only on the carpets and only when we aren't there. Thankfully, no accidents for the last month or so!

Lessons Learned
We've learned that everyone has to be flexible and that when one strategy doesn't work, you need to try something else. Also, we've learned that love comes in many shapes and sizes, and this time it came in the shape of a little 20-pound dog with beautiful chocolate eyes and bowed front legs.