Puppydom--I figured out why baby animals are cute---its protection

Well, I just realized today how long it has been since I blogged here.  In May, I was driving to work on a rainy morning when I see a puppy running down a busy road.  After the second time he almost got hit, I pulled over and rescued him, he ran right to me, tail wagging and tongue lolling.  I drove all over the neighborhood looking for his owner, I talked to everyone I could find about whether they knew who owned the pup.  I took him to the vet to see if he had a microchip or tattoo (nope), I took him into my home until I could find his owner.  Every night I went out with home looking for his owner, but if they existed, they didn't come over.  My bff and her hubby brought over a kennel and some dog treats after the first 3 days thinking it was a temp measure until the owner showed up.  Nope, no owner ever appeared.  So I decide that he (a German Shepherd mix) would be great protection, and prepared myself and my house (or so I thought) for puppydom.  One nicely expensive trip to the vet later, I had medications (Hookworm and mites) and puppy back in hand and proceed to try and puppy proof my home and make it so my cats were not cooped up in one room all the time.  I have a baby gate across my bedroom door so the cats have a safe haven, and my shoes are always up on countertops, aquariums tops, or anywhere he cannot reach. My God-niece Katie named him Buddy.  So I am watching the Dog Whisperer, buying expensive dog food to build up his immune system, and draining my wallet to take care of him while exhausting myself trying to take care of him.  If you have never had a puppy----puppy training SUCKS! :)  But everyone keeps telling me this too, will pass.  I cannot take him on walks until he gets his next round of shots, so I have to try and drain his energy in other ways.  This has become an adventure.  It is sooo hard to get all the animals cared for and get ready for work and out the door in a reasonable time.  Just when I think I have it figured out, something changes.