diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index e7b3f09..9353726 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -14,8 +14,10 @@ find_package(Lua REQUIRED)
 pkg_check_modules(LUNASVG REQUIRED IMPORTED_TARGET lunasvg)
 add_library(lunasvg::lunasvg ALIAS PkgConfig::LUNASVG)
 
-pkg_check_modules(SQLITE3 REQUIRED IMPORTED_TARGET sqlite3)
-add_library(sqlite3::sqlite3 ALIAS PkgConfig::SQLITE3)
+#pkg_check_modules(SQLITE3 REQUIRED IMPORTED_TARGET sqlite3)
+#add_library(sqlite3::sqlite3 ALIAS PkgConfig::SQLITE3)
+
+find_package(SQLiteCpp REQUIRED)
 
 find_package(toml11 CONFIG REQUIRED)
 
@@ -43,8 +45,8 @@ target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE
     Freetype::Freetype
     lunasvg::lunasvg
     glfw
-    sqlite3::sqlite3
     toml11::toml11
+    SQLiteCpp
 )
 
 install(TARGETS ${PROJECT_NAME} DESTINATION bin)
diff --git a/assets/local.db b/assets/local.db
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0eadb6b
Binary files /dev/null and b/assets/local.db differ
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 917dfdc..7909984 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@
           lunasvg
           lua
           sqlite.dev
+          sqlitecpp
           toml11
         ];
       in
diff --git a/src/critter.hpp b/src/critter.hpp
index cbf11b1..6b385a6 100644
--- a/src/critter.hpp
+++ b/src/critter.hpp
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include <string>
-#include <vector>
 
 class CritterEvent {
     public:
+        int id;
+        int critter_id;
         std::string name;
         std::string date;
         std::string time;
@@ -13,23 +14,21 @@ class CritterEvent {
 
 class CritterDocument {
     public:
+        int id;
+        int critter_id;
         std::string name;
         std::string doc_type;
         std::string cached_path;
 };
 
 class Critter {
-
-    enum Sex {Male, Female};
-
     public:
+        int id;
         std::string name;
-        Sex sex;
         std::string birthdate;
-        Critter *mother;
-        Critter *father;
-        std::vector<Critter*> children; 
         std::string notes;
-        std::vector<CritterEvent> events;
-        std::vector<CritterDocument> documents;
-};
\ No newline at end of file
+        int mother_id;
+        int father_id;
+        std::string gender;
+        std::string species;
+};
diff --git a/src/main.cpp b/src/main.cpp
index 0d2fe14..1a98982 100644
--- a/src/main.cpp
+++ b/src/main.cpp
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 #include <RmlUi/Core/Math.h>
 #include <RmlUi/Lua/Interpreter.h>
 #include <RmlUi/Lua/Lua.h>
+#include <SQLiteCpp/Database.h>
+#include <exception>
 #include <iostream>
 #include <RmlUi/Core.h>
 #include <RmlUi_Backend.h>
@@ -13,15 +15,17 @@
 #include <lua.h>
 #include <RmlUi/Debugger/Debugger.h>
 #include "critter.hpp"
-#include <sqlite3.h>
+#include <ostream>
+#include <SQLiteCpp/SQLiteCpp.h>
+#include <map>
 
 static bool is_initalized = false;
 static bool is_running = false;
 static Rml::Context *ctx;
+static std::map<int, Critter> critters = {};
 
 struct AppData {
   Rml::String page_title = "Main";
-  sqlite3 *db;
 } app_data;
 
 void Shutdown() {
@@ -48,22 +52,74 @@ bool Initalize() {
     std::cout << "[ERROR] Failed to initalize the backend.";
     return false;
   } 
+  std::cout << "[INFO] RmlUI Backend initalized.\n";
 
   Rml::SetSystemInterface(Backend::GetSystemInterface());
   Rml::SetRenderInterface(Backend::GetRenderInterface());
   Rml::Initialise();
   Rml::Lua::Initialise();
+
+  // TODO: Add more error handling for initalization 
+
+  std::cout << "[INFO] Loading local DB...\n";
+  try {
+    SQLite::Database db = SQLite::Database("./assets/local.db", SQLite::OPEN_READWRITE|SQLite::OPEN_CREATE);
+
+    SQLite::Statement q(db, "SELECT * FROM critters");
+
+    while(q.executeStep()) {
+      int id = q.getColumn(0);
+      std::string name =    q.getColumn(1);
+      std::string gender =  q.getColumn(2);
+      int mother_id =       q.getColumn(3);
+      int father_id =       q.getColumn(4);
+      std::string notes =   q.getColumn(5);
+      std::string species = q.getColumn(6);
+
+      Critter c;
+      c.id = id;
+      c.name = name;
+      c.gender = gender;
+      c.mother_id = mother_id;
+      c.father_id = father_id;
+      c.notes = notes;
+      c.species = species;
+      
+      critters[c.id] = c; 
+    }
+
+    std::cout << "[INFO] Loaded " << critters.size() << " critters from local db.\n";
+  }
+  catch (std::exception &e){
+    std::cout << "[ERROR] DB exception: " << e.what() << std::endl;
+    return false;
+  }
+  std::cout << "[INFO] Local DB initalized.\n";
+
+  // ------- DB TESTING
+  std::cout << "\n";
+  for (auto c : critters) {
+    std::cout << "\nCritter "   << c.first << "\n";
+    std::cout << "ID: "         << c.second.id << std::endl;
+    std::cout << "Name:"        << c.second.name << std::endl;
+    std::cout << "Gender: "     << c.second.gender << std::endl;
+    std::cout << "Mother ID: "  << c.second.mother_id << std::endl;
+    std::cout << "Father ID: "  << c.second.father_id << std::endl;
+    std::cout << "Notes: "      << c.second.notes << std::endl;
+    std::cout << "Species: "    << c.second.species << std::endl;
+  }
+  std::cout << "\n";
+  // ------- END DB TESTING
   
   ctx = Rml::CreateContext("main", Rml::Vector2i(800, 600));
   if (!ctx) {
     std::cout << "[ERROR] Failed to create context.";
-    Shutdown(); 
+    return false;
   }
+  std::cout << "[INFO] Main context initalized.\n";
 
   Rml::Debugger::Initialise(ctx);
 
-  
-
    // lua_State *L = Rml::Lua::Interpreter::GetLuaState();
 
   return true;
@@ -74,7 +130,7 @@ void Update(Rml::DataModelHandle model_handle) {
 }
 
 int main() {
-    std::cout << "Hello world!\n";
+    std::cout << "[INFO] Starting critterfolio...\n";
 
     is_initalized = Initalize();
     if (!is_initalized) {
@@ -82,6 +138,7 @@ int main() {
       Shutdown();
       return 1;
     }
+    std::cout << "[INFO] Application initalized, all systems running.\n";
 
     is_running = true;
 
@@ -96,6 +153,7 @@ int main() {
       Shutdown();
       return 1;
     }
+    std::cout << "[INFO] Main page loaded.\n";
 
     doc->Show();