I love her so much already, and I haven't even met her.
I couldn't sleep last night. So many plans running through my head! So much excitement! Things to do before we get her, things to buy, puppy-proofing, training, etc. Ahh!
I spent hours last night online trying to find the best deals on puppy products. PetEdge.com seemed to have the best deals, so I ended up getting a bunch of stuff from them. Any recommendations, anyone? It was certainly cheaper than PetSmart. (Speaking of, we need to go there tonight to buy the things I couldn't find online, like specific puppy brushes, the right crate, stuff like that.)
I just got the confirmation email! I can't wait. Now to decide on a name...
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
The puppy!
Okay, I don't want to get TOO excited in case it doesn't work out. But really, I can't help myself. Look at that face!!! I just want to cuddle her and squeal and love her for ever and ever. We'll be changing her name, by the way. I'll post about that next.
Consulting the Internet
I tried some Google searches last night and then got frustrated and decided to check Facebook. Lo and behold, there was a post from a former coworker about Adopt a Lab, a Lab rescue program she used to get her dog 5 or so years ago.
I checked the site, not expecting to find anything great, but right away I saw a puppy! An ADORABLE puppy. A 9-week-old puppy. A black lab. Be still, my beating heart!
I emailed an application right away and got an automated response saying it would first be a few days before I'd hear back.
Deep breaths.
Then I spent all day today anxiously checking my email every few seconds to see if they'd responded yet. I know, I know. I couldn't help it! Finally, I got a generic-sounding email with a woman's phone number, and I called her right away.
She picked up and said the puppy was still available and they'd accepted my application. I NEARLY JUMPED OUT OF MY SKIN IN EXCITEMENT. This was really happening!!! Mike and I talked it over and decided it was a great deal: $400 for the puppy, which includes getting her spayed, 3 vaccinations, a free first veterinary visit, and the beginning of a heartworm-prevention program. And they have a 2-3 week trial period, so if it doesn't work out for any reason, they'll take the puppy back and either give you a full refund or help match you with a different puppy.
I spent the rest of the afternoon trying not to burst from how excited I am. We're going to pick her up this weekend! By this time next week, we'll have a puppy of our very own. :) :) :) :) :)
I checked the site, not expecting to find anything great, but right away I saw a puppy! An ADORABLE puppy. A 9-week-old puppy. A black lab. Be still, my beating heart!
I emailed an application right away and got an automated response saying it would first be a few days before I'd hear back.
Deep breaths.
Then I spent all day today anxiously checking my email every few seconds to see if they'd responded yet. I know, I know. I couldn't help it! Finally, I got a generic-sounding email with a woman's phone number, and I called her right away.
She picked up and said the puppy was still available and they'd accepted my application. I NEARLY JUMPED OUT OF MY SKIN IN EXCITEMENT. This was really happening!!! Mike and I talked it over and decided it was a great deal: $400 for the puppy, which includes getting her spayed, 3 vaccinations, a free first veterinary visit, and the beginning of a heartworm-prevention program. And they have a 2-3 week trial period, so if it doesn't work out for any reason, they'll take the puppy back and either give you a full refund or help match you with a different puppy.
I spent the rest of the afternoon trying not to burst from how excited I am. We're going to pick her up this weekend! By this time next week, we'll have a puppy of our very own. :) :) :) :) :)
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Breeders
We started by researching which breeders were located in New Jersey that met our specifications.
Right away I found a dozen breeders of Labradors, Golden Retrievers, and various mixes like Cockapoos. Success!
I'll admit I'm biased toward Labs and Goldens, so I started with those. I found a couple of really great options. One was a breeder of a rare creme color of Goldens. Stunning, beautiful dogs! I was most excited about that one. Another was a breeder of Labs. Both websites detailed the way the breeders care for the dogs, ensure no familial disease, raise the pups in their own homes, etc. I filled out a couple of application forms and waited.
Within hours, the Golden breeder contacted me. Exciting! He was really nice over the phone, very helpful, lots of interesting info, etc. He had one female puppy left of the beautiful creme variety. The catch? $4000. Now, I know prices have gone up since we got Champ back in the day, but really? $4000? He told me he also had a few puppies, both female and male, from another set of dogs, and because these dogs are the standard golden color, the puppies would be $3000. A bargain! (sarcasm) I said we'd have to think about it, and think we did.
On the one hand, that seems like a LOT. We knew we were going to have to pay a lot for the puppy up front, but we thought most of the cost would be in buying a crate, food, treats, toys, leashes, collars, etc. Maybe training classes. But not just the puppy! Yowza.
On the other hand, if the dog lives to be 15 or 16, like the breeder asserted, that's only a few hundred dollars per year to pay for what will become your best friend. That's not bad. And this guy offers phone call advice over the whole lifetime of the dog, no cancer at all, a long lifetime, healthy, pedigree, etc etc. So, maybe it's worth it?
In the meantime, the Lab breeder got back to me. No puppies right now, not for a while. Well.
I called a family friend who adopted his Yellow Lab from a breeder about 8 years ago, and he nearly choked when I told him the price. He suggested we look at breeders in other states, and either take a road trip to get a cheaper puppy or have it sent on a plane to us. That seemed reasonable -- and anyway, we didn't want to rush into a $3000 puppy.
Back to the drawing board.
- We want a medium or large breed -- small dogs need not apply.
- We don't want a massive dog. I'm pretty small, myself.
- We want a healthy, kid-friendly, non-aggressive dog, preferably no older than 6 months, ideally 8-12 weeks.
- We will not, under any circumstances, support puppy mills or puppy auctions.
Right away I found a dozen breeders of Labradors, Golden Retrievers, and various mixes like Cockapoos. Success!
I'll admit I'm biased toward Labs and Goldens, so I started with those. I found a couple of really great options. One was a breeder of a rare creme color of Goldens. Stunning, beautiful dogs! I was most excited about that one. Another was a breeder of Labs. Both websites detailed the way the breeders care for the dogs, ensure no familial disease, raise the pups in their own homes, etc. I filled out a couple of application forms and waited.
Within hours, the Golden breeder contacted me. Exciting! He was really nice over the phone, very helpful, lots of interesting info, etc. He had one female puppy left of the beautiful creme variety. The catch? $4000. Now, I know prices have gone up since we got Champ back in the day, but really? $4000? He told me he also had a few puppies, both female and male, from another set of dogs, and because these dogs are the standard golden color, the puppies would be $3000. A bargain! (sarcasm) I said we'd have to think about it, and think we did.
On the one hand, that seems like a LOT. We knew we were going to have to pay a lot for the puppy up front, but we thought most of the cost would be in buying a crate, food, treats, toys, leashes, collars, etc. Maybe training classes. But not just the puppy! Yowza.
On the other hand, if the dog lives to be 15 or 16, like the breeder asserted, that's only a few hundred dollars per year to pay for what will become your best friend. That's not bad. And this guy offers phone call advice over the whole lifetime of the dog, no cancer at all, a long lifetime, healthy, pedigree, etc etc. So, maybe it's worth it?
In the meantime, the Lab breeder got back to me. No puppies right now, not for a while. Well.
I called a family friend who adopted his Yellow Lab from a breeder about 8 years ago, and he nearly choked when I told him the price. He suggested we look at breeders in other states, and either take a road trip to get a cheaper puppy or have it sent on a plane to us. That seemed reasonable -- and anyway, we didn't want to rush into a $3000 puppy.
Back to the drawing board.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Finding a puppy
Here's how I thought the puppy-finding process would go:
Instead, it's gone more like:
So we thought to ourselves, well okay. We wanted to rescue a dog from a shelter, but the ones around here are all no-kill shelters anyway (which is GREAT), and we didn't see any dogs we fell in love with. We figure our possible next options are:
I have to say, I was really surprised how difficult this process turned out to be. Aren't there hundreds, maybe thousands, of dogs (both puppies and adults) that need rescuing? Where are they? Maybe we just need to expand our search into nearby states (or even far-away ones).
- Step 1: Research where the local animal shelters are in the area.
- Step 2: Visit said shelters.
- Step 3: Play with a number of different puppies, find one we like, begin adoption process.
Instead, it's gone more like:
- Step 1: Research where the local animal shelters are in the area.
- Step 2: Navigate through varying hours of operation, trying to visit as many shelters in one go as possible (because it turns out they're all [but one] 30+ minutes away).
- Step 3: Discover that not a single shelter carries puppies. The youngest dogs are 1.5 years old.
- Step 4: Observe the horrible conditions of the shelters. Dogs kept in sparse cages the size of a closet (a generously sized closet, but still), barking and wagging and desperately, desperately trying to get our attention. Deal with awkwardly manipulative-yet-judgmental shelter workers. They try to be helpful, but they end up coming across as pressuring and condescending.
- Step 5: Okay, maybe getting an adult dog isn't a terrible idea: take a few of the younger dogs out, try to get to know them. Watch them be so excited just to be out of their cage, they completely ignore us.
- Step 6: Observe that most of the dogs are not good around kids -- a deal breaker, since Mike has a 9-year-old sister.
- Step 7: Ask the shelter workers if they ever get puppies. Accept the "no"s with grace. Drive away.
So we thought to ourselves, well okay. We wanted to rescue a dog from a shelter, but the ones around here are all no-kill shelters anyway (which is GREAT), and we didn't see any dogs we fell in love with. We figure our possible next options are:
- Check out local breeders. Reputable, AKC-certified ones (NOT puppy mills). They'll have puppies!
- Visit shelters in Philadelphia and Atlantic City, about an hour and a half's drive in each direction to each city. See if they have a bigger selection.
- Check the local classifieds. Anyone selling or giving away puppies?
- Consult the Internet. The Internet knows all.
I have to say, I was really surprised how difficult this process turned out to be. Aren't there hundreds, maybe thousands, of dogs (both puppies and adults) that need rescuing? Where are they? Maybe we just need to expand our search into nearby states (or even far-away ones).
Introductions
Hello, world!
I've decided to start this blog as a way to document our experiences with getting a puppy. We've been living on the east coast and are leaving to start a new adventure on the west coast in 6 or so months, but we didn't think that was a reason to wait for the puppy. After all, we've been saving and waiting for years (impatiently, on my part), and the house we're in now is the perfect environment for training a puppy.
Here are some details about us for background and context.
Me: Jennifer, an editor working from home, mid-20s
Him: Mike, a computer programmer working from home, mid-20s
I grew up with a yellow lab named Champ. He was the best, smartest, funniest dog in the world. He had more personality than most people I know. I'll surely post more on him later. Mike, on the other hand, has never had a pet. Ever. He's cautiously optimistic.
We've just moved to a tiny beach town at the very southern tip of New Jersey, a house with a huge back yard and multiple large rooms (this is still amazing after years of living in a one-bedroom apartment in Boston). And, because we're both working from home and the (as-yet-imaginary) puppy will never need to be left alone, we figured now was as good a time as any. Or, more specifically, I can't/won't wait any longer. We've been responsibly waiting til we had the space and the means to support a dog, and now that we're at that point, I don't want to wait any longer. YAY, PUPPY!
So, I hope you'll enjoy reading about our adventures in puppy finding, raising, training, loving, and learning. We're sure to discover challenges along the way, and I won't hesitate to get advice from more-experienced dog owners, so please feel free to chime in with advice. Thanks for reading!
Jennifer
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