“Possible Puppy”

~ Elizabeth

Since our dog died in the late spring we have experienced a first time ever in our marriage dogless house. We weren’t in a hurry to get a puppy because we needed time to grieve. But after a time we began to seriously discuss getting another dog. I was drawn to the idea of a smaller dog, perhaps some kind of terrier, but then I remembered how much I dislike yipping. So in the end, we decided to look for another Australian Shepherd, a breed we have owned for the last 30 years.

After connecting with the breeder who sold us Grace, our last dog, we were referred to a woman in Vermont, about two and a half hours north of us. We let her know of our interest and she told us of a litter expected at the end of August. That litter, of ELEVEN puppies, produced six female and five male puppies, all either red and white or black and white, similar to our previous dogs.

Yesterday we took one grandchild, drove up to Vermont and met the puppies. The one above immediately climbed into my grandchild’s lap and proceeded to check my husband and me out. Apparently we passed the test, since she then licked and nibbled on us both. Although we may end up with a different pup from this bunch, we hope that this is ours. The breeder naturally tries to match the puppies with the new owners, but she thinks this one will do quite well for us. She is loving and energetic but not the most energetic of the lot. We know the breed is active, but we passed on the most outgoing of the bunch. We will let some younger owners channel the leader of the pack.

We will bring one puppy home from Vermont on October 24. With the chaos gone from the attic, we will have the chaos of a new puppy. I can’t wait.

37 thoughts on ““Possible Puppy””

  3. How wonderful Elizabeth! I’ve found, our puppies usually choose us and not the other way around! Our Riley is now five months old and still a handful, but we are certainly glad he was the one who decided to drape himself over my husband’s foot!

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  7. This is wonderful! You had time to grieve, then returned to the roots of the dogs you have had and loved. The best thing was taking your granddaughter along to pick a puppy. I just love how everything fell into place, and clearly was meant to be. How exciting!

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  8. We had to put one of our two yellow labs down at the beginning of the pandemic. I still can’t bring up Jake’s name without my wife going to tears. I understand the feeling of needing to grieve before getting another one. I’ve lived with dogs practically my whole life and can’t imagine life without one or two running around. Enjoy that puppy and all of the associated problems that come with her.

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    1. I think the combination of the pandemic and losing a dog(which was also true for us) was too much to take. We really still miss Grace every day and know that a puppy will not be a replacement.

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  10. Well done with that! We did go for terrier crosses this time. (Before, we’ve just taken in whatever dogs someone who knew someone we knew wanted to find a home for, but we ran out of those.) As soon as the second pup arrived, the first – by then over a year old – stopped yapping. (Why keep a puppy and bark yourself?) And, against expectation, I am having some success with silencing the new, hyperactive pup, in spite of a terrier cross next door who never yaps at every opportunity. It has taken many treats and Smidgeon – number one pup – is now on a diet; you can’t treat one without the other and she isn’t as active as Ruff.) It has taken nearly a year to get this far.
    I suspect I didn’t try consistently enough for long enough in the past, but that’s retirement for you!

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    1. I am hopeful that since we will both be home and have hired a lovely woman to help us that we will get ahead of the curve this time. I hope anyway. I will say we may get a second in a year or so. We are used to having two dogs and it is very lonely with none.

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      1. yes. I decided when the last of our first dog-family died (1990s) that life would be easier without a dog (evening meetings at work, kids out as teenagers, husband working late shifts…) We lasted two months before we adopted a pair the RSPCA had found abandoned together. Suddenly, the kids’ were home in the evenings (plus their friends). Since then, I’ve rarely had less than three until we bought the motorhome in the last few years.

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  11. How exciting! Fingers crossed this bundle of mischief is the one you bring home but if not, the chosen one is bound to be just as cute. I look forward to the homecoming!

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