diff --git a/builtin/providers/docker/config.go b/builtin/providers/docker/config.go
index ed13314a2..199182744 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/docker/config.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/docker/config.go
@@ -6,14 +6,11 @@ import (
 	dc "github.com/fsouza/go-dockerclient"
 )
 
+// Config is the structure that stores the configuration to talk to a
+// Docker API compatible host.
 type Config struct {
 	Host     string
 	CertPath string
-	SkipPull bool
-}
-
-type Data struct {
-	DockerImages map[string]*dc.APIImages
 }
 
 // NewClient() returns a new Docker client.
@@ -30,9 +27,7 @@ func (c *Config) NewClient() (*dc.Client, error) {
 	return dc.NewTLSClient(c.Host, cert, key, ca)
 }
 
-// NewData() returns a new data struct.
-func (c *Config) NewData() *Data {
-	return &Data{
-		DockerImages: map[string]*dc.APIImages{},
-	}
+// Data ia structure for holding data that we fetch from Docker.
+type Data struct {
+	DockerImages map[string]*dc.APIImages
 }
diff --git a/builtin/providers/docker/provider.go b/builtin/providers/docker/provider.go
index 77da4bf15..15bc840a4 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/docker/provider.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/docker/provider.go
@@ -38,5 +38,5 @@ func providerConfigure(d *schema.ResourceData) (interface{}, error) {
 		CertPath: d.Get("cert_path").(string),
 	}
 
-	return &config, nil
+	return config.NewClient()
 }
diff --git a/builtin/providers/docker/resource_docker_container_funcs.go b/builtin/providers/docker/resource_docker_container_funcs.go
index d0daa08bb..17a8e4eed 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/docker/resource_docker_container_funcs.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/docker/resource_docker_container_funcs.go
@@ -11,16 +11,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 func resourceDockerContainerCreate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
-	config := meta.(*Config)
+	var err error
+	client := meta.(*dc.Client)
 
-	client, err := config.NewClient()
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Unable to connect to Docker: %s", err)
-	}
-
-	data := config.NewData()
-
-	if err := fetchLocalImages(data, client); err != nil {
+	var data Data
+	if err := fetchLocalImages(&data, client); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
@@ -116,12 +111,7 @@ func resourceDockerContainerCreate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) err
 }
 
 func resourceDockerContainerRead(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
-	config := meta.(*Config)
-
-	client, err := config.NewClient()
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Unable to connect to Docker: %s", err)
-	}
+	client := meta.(*dc.Client)
 
 	apiContainer, err := fetchDockerContainer(d.Get("name").(string), client)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -152,12 +142,7 @@ func resourceDockerContainerUpdate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) err
 }
 
 func resourceDockerContainerDelete(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
-	config := meta.(*Config)
-
-	client, err := config.NewClient()
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Unable to connect to Docker: %s", err)
-	}
+	client := meta.(*dc.Client)
 
 	removeOpts := dc.RemoveContainerOptions{
 		ID:            d.Id(),
diff --git a/builtin/providers/docker/resource_docker_image_funcs.go b/builtin/providers/docker/resource_docker_image_funcs.go
index a34f21994..2c7470db0 100644
--- a/builtin/providers/docker/resource_docker_image_funcs.go
+++ b/builtin/providers/docker/resource_docker_image_funcs.go
@@ -9,9 +9,8 @@ import (
 )
 
 func resourceDockerImageCreate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
-	config := meta.(*Config)
-
-	apiImage, err := findImage(d, config)
+	client := meta.(*dc.Client)
+	apiImage, err := findImage(d, client)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Unable to read Docker image into resource: %s", err)
 	}
@@ -23,9 +22,8 @@ func resourceDockerImageCreate(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
 }
 
 func resourceDockerImageRead(d *schema.ResourceData, meta interface{}) error {
-	config := meta.(*Config)
-
-	apiImage, err := findImage(d, config)
+	client := meta.(*dc.Client)
+	apiImage, err := findImage(d, client)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Unable to read Docker image into resource: %s", err)
 	}
@@ -53,6 +51,10 @@ func fetchLocalImages(data *Data, client *dc.Client) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("Unable to list Docker images: %s", err)
 	}
 
+	if data.DockerImages == nil {
+		data.DockerImages = make(map[string]*dc.APIImages)
+	}
+
 	// Docker uses different nomenclatures in different places...sometimes a short
 	// ID, sometimes long, etc. So we store both in the map so we can always find
 	// the same image object. We store the tags, too.
@@ -132,15 +134,9 @@ func getImageTag(image string) string {
 	return ""
 }
 
-func findImage(d *schema.ResourceData, config *Config) (*dc.APIImages, error) {
-	client, err := config.NewClient()
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("Unable to connect to Docker: %s", err)
-	}
-
-	data := config.NewData()
-
-	if err := fetchLocalImages(data, client); err != nil {
+func findImage(d *schema.ResourceData, client *dc.Client) (*dc.APIImages, error) {
+	var data Data
+	if err := fetchLocalImages(&data, client); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
@@ -163,7 +159,7 @@ func findImage(d *schema.ResourceData, config *Config) (*dc.APIImages, error) {
 	foundImage := searchLocal()
 
 	if d.Get("keep_updated").(bool) || foundImage == nil {
-		if err := pullImage(data, client, imageName); err != nil {
+		if err := pullImage(&data, client, imageName); err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("Unable to pull image %s: %s", imageName, err)
 		}
 	}