Why do you have the dogs you have?

I never like to take the same breed twice unless there is a special reason -- we like to experience all sorts of breeds, as long as they are reasonably within what we can adapt to, and no larger than 'medium' -- I'm a bit handicapped and I have to be able to pick them up to transport them, so no big dogs for me. 

Of the current bunch -- Billy (Eng. cocker) has been with us 4 years this July 25 (I used my birthday money from my folks to get him and it was just days before hurricane Charlie).  Someone had found him wandering at an I-4 rest area -- he was quite abused in foster care (long story -- they were trying desperately to place him with a family with kids because "he loved them" and they made a huge concession and let us have him despite no kids b/c we were going to do pet therapy with him -- BUT in foster care some little blonde girl did a huge number on his sore ears ... *sigh*). 

My sheltie mix (at the Bridge now at the age of almost 19) Foxy 'picked' Billy after months of looking for the 'right' dog.

Essentially the ears were a HUGE mess, and we thot he was deaf.  We'd already had a deaf cocker (his ears removed in a bi-lateral ear ablation) that we'd taught sign so figured this would be easy.  Little did we know that getting the ears healthy was the *easy* part! LOL  Billy's the one who has survived IMHA.

Once we realized Billy (b/c of the abuse in foster care) would be suitable only for really specific kinds of pet therapy (he's great with developmentally disabled kids -- it's healthy able-bodied little girls he's uncomfortable wtih -- he's come a LONG LONG way but he'll never be Give Kids the World material -- it's too 'zoom-y' for him -- we realized we needed to give Foxy some help and look for another dog suitable to train for pet therapy.

Enter Lunabella -- The WILD CHILD!!  She was 9 months when we took her - a very typical dog reared with very little training or discipline who was given up as "too much".  She had lived in doggie daycare virtually 24/7 -- the owner would put her in as soon as they opened and come and get her at closing pretty much 6-7 days a week.  The idea of doing anything a HUMAN said was completely alien to her.    However, she is, and always will be, THE most incredibly well dog-socialized dog I've evern known.  Not 'dominate' with other dogs, but able to play with anything from the smallest to the biggest and have fun with anybuddy!

Her biggest challenge was literally learning to *listen* to a human.. Wow -- you guys are saying those noises at ME  and you expect ME to ..... **DO** something?  Weird-oooooo!!!!

She's shaped up into an incredibly good girl but has been a big training challenge.  For a hound she is *not* particularly food-motivated.  It took her a long time to bond to me particularly, but she's very patient and extremely good at Give Kids the World.  Even when kids are being annoying and grabby, she has really good instincts and tons of patience.

Kee Shu -- one day my bag boy at Publix came trucking down the road after me as I was leaving "HEY .... **YOU** have dogs -- do you want another???" (said bag "boy" being about 40+)  His brother had recently moved back here (near Orlando) from Chicago but was having trouble keeping a roof over his head and the parents condo complex didn't allow pets.  He was sleeping in his car (for various reasons but mostly to stay with the old peke who was his 'babe magnet';) and of course the other residents freaked about that.  Called Animal Control and the instant he left her in the car long enough to go to the bathroom they confiscated her.

I had left my number with the brother and they asked me to help so she wouldn't be euthanized (they wouldn't release her to him unless he had a place to live).  We took her ostensibly til he 'got on his feet' but I could tell that wouldn't happen (mega drinking problem). 

She was, by his description, "old" -- so we've no clue but reports from neighbors want to put her age then at between 12 - 16.  The vets thot 12, but he also pulled 11 teeth in one day (no vet care probably ever). 

We decided to keep her -- she's sweet and fit right in (she and my old sheltie had quite the romance going -- at almost 19 it was the first time in his life he was attracted to a female and she worshiped the ground Foxy walked on). 

She's what my holistic vet calls "pre-seizure-y" -- meaning mega obsessive and she will do repetitive behaviors to the point of withdrawl from reality.  Between acupuncture and herbs we've uncovered the sweet soul within and she's 99.9999% "in the now" most of the time. 

She fully hit her potential at Give Kids the World -- she LOVES it.  And most of all, she has an incredible special affinity with babies!!  The younger they are the better she likes it!  Poke your finger in her nose -- please!!!  Incredibly patient with everyone.  She *lives* to go to Give Kids the World!  Very elderly but very sweet.

Tinkerbell (the pug f/k/a Lulu Bear) is our newest addition.  This wasn't planned -- but the opportunity presented itself and once again, it just seemed like the right thing to do -- she needs US and she's a new experience breed-wise, altho I've always loved pugs. 

We adopted her specifically ***BECAUSE*** she had a really severe case of demodex.  http://community.dog.com/forums/t/81687.aspx?PageIndex=1  That's the whole story.

She's doing awesome -- in my photos I have pictures of her a month ago at her 'worst' when she had just been surrendered (altho the woman had been trying to SELL her on Craigslist for a month in that horrific condition)

It broke my heart to see her, and altho I knew she'd do better with US long term I was willing to try to help Rita (the rescuer) long distance but my husband essentially said "why?  We're good at this and she needs us.  What do we have to do to get her here?"

So we literally flew to Dallas (from Orlando), rented a car and drove to Austin - met my friend (who was a long-time net friend of ours) and picked up "Lulu" who quickly became Tinkerbell and drove her home.  She had, aside from the demodex (and sarcops that had been treated, and major contact allergy and staph infections) also a nasty ear infection so no way would we fly her home, so we drove.

Each one of our animals is with us because they are supposed to be with us.  For some reason they needed us.  That's how we like to do it.

I love Willow's story!

I grew up with dogs, dogs, dogs. We had many when I was a child. My first dog was named Icey, she was mix breed, long silver grey hair and a sweetie. But my first biggest memory is of Lady, Kord, Sheba and Holly and 13 GSD puppies.....oh my to be a child again. Lady was a purebred stray my mom found in the alley, she kept her and that dog would have died for my mother. Kord was an attack trained shepherd that my parent bought in the early 70's due to the "changing" neighborhood and the fact that my mother was home alone in the inner city most days. Holly and Sheba were temp dogs, they were breeder send overs from Kords previous owners, we only kept them each for a few months. Holly was bred and had the 13 puppies, oh my, puppy breath and being a kid? NOTHING like it. I was sad when she and the pups left. Sheba was another that my parents actually advised the breeder not to bred in the end, the clincher, she jumped out of a 3rd story window, in the middle of a thunderstorm to join us outside on the front porch....whew, outside of a couple of cuts, she was fine and dandy, but my mother refused to breed her after that and she was sent back to the breeder. They retired Kord from stud after that. The impression that both Kord and Lady left on my young mind always remained with me. I think my parents avoided shepherds because they just cared to much.

After that, both family and my own dogs included a collie, old english sheepdog, 2 mixes and then for my 31st birthday, Babe.....I talked my mother into co-owning her with me. And lord have mercy she was true to her breed. Sweet, dedicated, gentle where needed, but imposing if she had to step up. Losing her was like losing a piece of myself, I will always remember her, just like I remember Kord and Lady.

So now we have the boy, I will always have a shepherd, I just adore the breed, but my husband and I have decided when we do add a second dog it will be a mix. Just waiting for the right time and circumstances.

My husband and I both grew up with shelties, my family had one when I was a kid, and his family had 5 shelties and a collie...so when we decided to get a dog we were both drawn to shelties. I wanted a blue merle and DH wanted a tri, so we decided to get one of each...DH found Ripley's breeder, I found Frosty's breeder. Shiner is a long story....he was an impulse adoption, sort of....basically I was surfing the net one night and someone had posted him on a website, that he was to be euthed the next day if not adopted. He caught my eye just because I like merles, then I saw that he was in the shelter down the street from my house. I showed his pic to my husband, he said I should go get him, and I went to the shelter the next morning...it got kind of complicated after that, but I ended up with him. I never would have decided on a border collie otherwise...I thought he was an aussie at first....but he's a good fit for us and I have no regrets.

Throughout my children's growing up years we always had dogs.  When the kids got older, married and moved out on their own, they took their dogs with them.  The lack of dog hair around the house was wonderful but dogs have always been a part of our lives and always will be.  We got 8 week old Jazzy, our German Shorthair/Lab/Boxer mix, for our youngest daughter at the Humane Association.   

Then last year a friend of mine who has Standard Poodles bought me an awesome gift - 'pick of the litter' of a litter of Standard Poodles from a breeder she got one of her dogs from.  I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it until I saw the pups.  I knew I wanted a female and Lacie pretty much picked me.  She is truly my dream dog. 

A few months later I saw an ad for Standard Poodle puppies and went to meet Keisha. I fell in love with her, paid my deposit, visited her often, and finally got to bring my puppy home! She is my happy-go-lucky girl.

Rex was a dog I truly searched for - I knew what I wanted as far as color, pedigree, size, etc. - found his breeder and began corresponding, and talking on the phone, and finally met in person.  Rex was 6 months old when I got him and because of health issues in the breeder's family, he was not well socialized with people.  I just had a really good feeling about him and knew he needed a home where he could get over his fear issues and just be loved and be part of a family.  It took months but he was so worth it.  Rex is such a good boy and so incredibly smart.  He has excelled at obedience and agility and seems to totally love working.

And then there's Zoe. I came across a breeder who has gotten into the Parti colors and I really liked the looks of her dogs.  Did a ton of research into their pedigrees, etc, and was happy with what I found.  And Zoe came into our lives!

So we have our 4 Standard Poodles and our pound puppy!  What I love about the Standards is that they don't shed, they are incredibly smart, they have a regal presence, and they are total lovers.  My husband enjoys them as well - he likes that they don't shed and he enjoys their antics.  They really are such clowns!

When my EH and I bought our first house (that is about to be sold )  and with our/my first grandchild on the way my EH decided he was ready for a dog.  This was the first argument we had ever had.  He wanted a dog to put outside, I don't agree with that and said if it wasn't an indoor dog I didn't want one.  His birthday was coming up and I told him we could get one for his birthday.  This was going to be my gift to him. He did a lot of research and we had decided we wanted a boxer pup, but we wanted to get it from a rescue.  We found Amelia on Petfinders. She was listed as a boxer mix (but you could see she is mixed with PB).  She had been severely abused and was "not adoptable" due to her size.  She was big for a 3 month old pup (but didn't turn out overly big).  All the siblings had been accepted to North Shore Animal League.  The rescue told us what Petsmart she would be at (it was way out of our way) and we went to see her in person.  It was instantly love at first sight.  She was the cutest thing ever, but it was obvious she had issues.  She didn't like men.  We filled out the forms and left. The rescue had a policy that they had to do a home visit first. That was acceptable to us, but we worried because we didn't have a fenced yard at the time (took 2+ years for that). She brought Amelia to our house and even she could see it was a perfect match. I don't think anyone could have loved Amelia more that we did/do. The first year was work.  We had a hard time with potty training because she was so timid, and didn't like men. Oh yeah, no baseball caps STILL.  She had some chewing issues.  But eventually it all worked out.  Unfortunately for EH she bonded more with me than him.  After the first year we thought maybe if we got a second dog it would help pull her more out of her shell.  So we got Sydney for the HS (but that is EH's dog) and it worked to bring her more out but he was SO dominating.  After a year it was starting to go in reverse.  Then Emma came into my life through work.  I have always had a love for PB's and rotties.  Just something about thier teddybearness.  One of the drivers wife worked with a lady that was apparently trying some BYBing but without money.  The pups were going to die if they weren't rescued.  So we stepped in and they were all rescued.  Unfortunately, they were very malnurished, flea ridden and turned out to have sever parvo.  One of the pups died shortly after being rescued (from Parvo).  Another was adopted by one of my coworkers who had extensive (or so I thought) experience with Rotties.  He got him through the parvo, rid of fleas and fat and healthy.  But I think he was keeping him outside in a kennel (I would never have let him have him if I had known this is what he was going to do with him).  After a few months the dog turned mean and tried to bite his kids.  He gave him to a junk yard.  I was so damn mad.  But on a lighter note, we got rid of Emma's fleas (through help from this forum) and pulled her through the parvo, and got her putting weight on.  Then my husband and I separated and I took Amelia and Emma with me and we live out in the boonies now.  I could not be happier with my animals.  I love them to death.  They (along with my grandson) are the reason I get up everyday. God brought them into my life, and I cherish every moment with them.  I hope they all live very long and happy lives.  On a side note,  Amelia has become so relaxed now (as long as no men and no ballcaps) she no longer barks at everything, she sleeps well, she seldom ever cowers down, she walks with her tail up and out, and explores.

Labor Day Weekend 2003, our friend's son and his girlfriend bought Shadow at a pet store in Plano, Tx. Here's one for you, the owners of the store also own a lawncare business, as in weedkillers, etc. Anyway, by Labor Day Weekend 2004, the girlfriend could no longer keep him. Because of financial reasons, she had gone "home" to live with her adoptive family. The story changes as time goes by but the more I can gather the better understanding I get. Essentially, though, her family was going to surrender him to the Sherman Animal Shelter the next business day after the Labor Day Weekend.

That animal shelter is a kill shelter. They euth because of limited room and resources. After evaluation and health check, they have approximately 7 days to be adopted. I suspect they ease up on that if the shelter is not full. There might have been someone who would have adopted him, maybe not. Most people around here are not educated to handle dogs of Siberian temperment. I know I wasn't. More than likely, he would have been euth'd. So, we took him. Actually, it took about an hour. Shadow was standing in front of me as I was sitting on a couch. I started telling him how big the back yard was and how it seems popular with the squirrels. That did it. He was all over me and was instantly "my" dog. I had parked my truck quite a bit away in the complex of the townhomes. So, I was having to get it and bring it around. I am told that when I walked out the door, he stayed at the door, whining and howling that I could leave him like this. When I got his leash on and I took him outside, I opened the door to the truck and he jumped in with the look of "aren't we gone, yet?" And DW, bless her heart, put up with 45 minutes of furry dog butt in the face riding home. Fortunately, he doesn't have a bad odor. The yard was not truly secured. The north gate (a double gate) has a gap wide enough between the two that he could get out. But I have some other gate pieces given to me by the neighbor on my south. So, I'm out there at about midnight, no moonlight to speak of, lashing an extra gate piece with whatever I can find.

He's been with us since then. He's affectionate, too, with DW and the cat. But, primarily, he only eats a full meal in my presence.

Previously, I said I was not prepared for a dog with Siberian temperment and that was true. I was clueless. The difference between me and a lot of people is that I am fully aware that I don't know everything and have no problem admitting that. And I strive to correct that ignorance of mine. In a goshdurned hurry. And I learned how much I didn't know about dog behavior and training. And I still learn.

Jade was approx 4.5 to maybe 5 weeks old wander the streets of our little town near a friend's house. She was sleeping under their old New Yorker. The friend couldn't keep her even though she finally ate a few bits of the food left on the porch. She was skin and bones. But the friend had succeeded in getting rid of the fleas. She wanted to know if we wanted her. DW really wanted her. So, I walked Shadow over there as it is neutral territory for him. And he gave play signals, which was an excellent sign. So, I walked him back home, drove the truck back over there. By this time, Jade was in a tree. So, I had to get my work gloves on to pluck her out of the tree.

So, even though I don't foster and I have not contacted a rescue, I have yet to actually buy a pet. They're everywhere, on the streets, in the trees, from people that know me. I'm the dog guy.

This is Shadow on Sunday of Labor Day Weekend 2004. We brought him home the night before.

Here's Jade, the afternoon we got her, March of 2006. You can see the grease on her ears from sleeping under a car. In the left part of the pic, laying down, you can see Shadow's left paw.

Here's another of Shadow giving Jade a sniff.

I don't know if we can blame that on her family or maybe she had made the decision and was blaming them. I know she had no business owning anything larger than a cat and even that's a stretch.

Anyway, I have wanted a dog of my own for a long time and have had a few and been around a few, but not day in, day out. The young lady had a pic of him on her cellphone. Yes, she had a phone that could take pics even back then but she couldn't afford to take care of a dog. Get the picture, if you'll pardon the pun? But she was doing the right thing. She asked if we wanted a dog. I had forgotten that we met him when he was a little puppy at Thanksgiving 2003 with our friend. Back then, he was a black ball of fluff with interesting eyes. So, I said yes, not even sure if he would like us or what this would entail. And I didn't realize he had grown so big. She left, and I do mean that very minute that we said yes.

ETA:

This last paragraph is out of place and belongs further up in the post but this software won't let me copy and paste in my own post. Sorry about that.

DH and I decided that we were ready for a dog in early 2007.  We'd been researching breeds for a while, and had fallen in love with the Klee Kai.  Both DH and I love Siberians, but were living in an apartment.  An AKK seemed like the perfect dog for us, and we found Honor's breeder and submitted an application.  A few months later, Honor came along!  She is without a doubt the smartest and boldest dog I have ever known or had, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Nike is my shy sweetheart.  He doesn't have a single atom of aggression in his body, and is the supreme lovey dog.  DH and I had been looking for a second dog for a while, as we knew that we wanted to get Honor a playmate once we had our house.  We were actually looking for a Collie or a Keeshond, but we found a trio of adorable Sheltie pups on Sheltie Rescue's website.  Something about the pups and their story pulled at our heartstrings, and we took Honor out to meet the pups.  Long story short, DH and Honor and I picked Nike, and he's a perfect fit.  

 after we got settled into our house, we decided we wanted to adopt a dog. after doing a lot of research and having a lot of discussions, we decided we wanted to adopt a boxer or boxer mix. we searched on petfinder and rescue sites for a couple of months, and then we saw amelia. i fell in love with her when we first met her. after being approved and getting the house checks, she was our's. her rescue mom had a really hard time letting her go, but we have tried to keep her updated with pics and what not. amelia was a timid little sweety when we first got her, and she still is pretty timid but she started to come out of her shell a lot more once we got a second dog.

when amelia was a little over a year old, we decided we wanted to adopt another dog. we were looking for another boxer/boxer mix. i checked the local HS's web site, and they had a few boxer mix pups on there. we went down to have a look... just a look mind you. apparently, the boxers had already been adopted, just not removed from teh site yet. however, there was fuzzy little sydney. we fell in love immediately. he has been running the house since. :D

about a year later, we had been toying with the idea of getting a third. but we werent sure what breed we wanted. sydney is a sibe mix, and i kind of wanted a more pb sibe, but my wife didnt. we talked about actually getting the boxer brother we had intended to get for amelia, and had looked at several. and we also were looking at a couple of other breeds or breed mixes. i kind of wanted to adopt a dog that was at least 2 or so, but my wife wanted another puppy. all we knew for sure was that we wanted to adopt again.

 
my wife was contacted by someone she works with about some puppies he had taken out of a bad situation and was looking for good homes for them. the people he took them from said they were pb rotties (?). so we decided to give it a go, and emma entered our life. she is a hoot. it was touch and go with her for the first few months though. she was covered with fleas and came down with parvo the day after we brought her home.

emma and amelia now live with my wife, and i miss them dearly. i knew it was best for amelia to live with her though. they really had a strong connection.

 
sydney is now my sole constant companion. i have thought about getting him a playmate, but the time just hasnt seemed right yet. maybe someday.
 

Why do I have the dogs that I have? Because I worked in an animal shelter!  Lexi (malinois) was actually a stray that showed up at a client's house when I was a horse trainer - he already had shepherds and had no need for a malinois, so I called Dave to see if I could bring her home. It went like this:

Me: Daniel had a dog dumped at his house and is going to take her to the shelter.

DH: OK...so?

Me: Well I was thinking we could take her.

DH: What kind of dog?

Me: A shepherd of some sort.

DH: No, absolutely not! We don't have the space for a dog that big.

Me: OK, fine.

DH: I mean it. Don't bring that dog home!

(Fast forward to me walking in the door an hour later)

Me: Hey, I'm home!

DH: You aren't bringing a dog in, are you?

Me: No......she's still in the car.

Lexi has been the best dog ever, dog-aggression aside, and DH is quite happy that I brought her home. We have Lilly the schnauzer because we were talking about getting a second dog, specifically a schnauzer due to DH's allergies, and a 6 wk old schnauzer puppy was relinquished to my shelter the following week.

Jamie (young malinois)...well, we have Jamie because she has had five failed adoptions in over 15 months. We are her last chance, we realize that, and she needs us. I'm starting to work with her more now that we have settled in and am not sure which route to take with her - agility or schutzhund. She's a very high drive dog, focused when she wants to be, and must be related to the energizer bunny. Jamie doesn't fit our lifestyle terribly well due to her energy level but we make it work. She has no more options and I'd like to think that she's fairly happy where she is at now.  

MyDad had English Setters and Pointers his entire life.  I got my first "own dog", anEnglish Setter puppy r my 11th birthday in '56 and they were the only breed dog i owned until a stray irish Setter shoed up in '78.  After my last Engish Setter was gone i only had the irish and after he was gone, I got another irish setter.

We movd to the coast in '88 ad something here di not sit well with Boots and he developed awful allergies.  My vet came here with an Irish Setter and she also developed allergies down here.    In '94 our son wanted a golden retriever for a duck dog and he got the puppy Scooter.  I lost my irish in '97 to bone cancer at 12 1/2 years, but by then had gotten a golden retirever, Buck, full brother, later litr, t Scooter.

I found that goldens are such an all around dog--seeing eye, service, therapy, search and rescue, bomb and drug sniffing, hunting, agility , great companions, About the only thing tey aaren't good for is being a guard dog.

After Scooter died of heart attack, leaving only Buck, I got litter mate pups Hunter and KayCee in '99.    In Dec. 2002 neighbors across the street told hubby ther wa a dog at the tiny local shelter that would be perfect for us, a golden retrieve mix.  We waid no, we alreay had 3 dogs and a cat.  But that night those son of a gun peole showed up with another lady and this beautiful dog, judged to be "right at a year old".  We learned she had been one hour from being gassed at the county pound when th rescue snagged her--they go every "gas day" and  take 3-4 dogs they think they can find homes for for.  Well, we couldn't turn down having that beautiful, sweet dog and we adopted her Dc. 7, 2002 and also made that her first birthday. Named her Honey because she looked like shewas made of spun Honey.

I lost Hunter on Oct. 16, 2003 at 4 yrs. 2 mons to ProHeart6 adverse reaction  I lost Buck on May 15, 2007 to heart attack at age 12 yrs. 3 months.  And I lost KayCee 8 weeks go today, May 25, at age 8 yrs. 9 months to cancer.  Honey is all I have left and I thank God we looked into those big brown eyes and made her our dog.

 DH & I had discussed getting a dog when we were living in the UK but felt our lifestyle wouldn't give us enough time for the active dog we wanted.  So once we got to NC and had the house, space and time I really started pushing for it. We went round and round - DH was reluctant.  We committed to getting one from the SPCA though and each made secret trips to their adoption facility.  About 3-4 wks before we got Bugs I had seen a great dog and when DH was still against I figured it was a losing battle.

Then one day, when my mom was visiting, we were heading into town for a meal and DH said let's pop into the SPCA. We did and I saw Bugs and fell in love.  We took him into one of the greeting rooms and were blown away.  Bright, alert, playful, confident, and affectionate.  We were a little concerned about his size LOL but when another couple and child wanted to 'see' him DH said go tell them we will have him.  We had already pre-approved for adoption so that was that. 

Funniest part is when DH said we'd pick him up on Tuesday (it was Sunday) he is so English at times LOL

So out we walked with Bugsy, a giant crate, some toys, bowls and collar and leash.

After we bought our house and our kids seemed old enough and ready for a dog, we started researching breeds.  We honestly could not settle, we loved so many things about so many breeds, we looked at breeders and breed specific rescue and just couldn't decide.  We than decided to find a nice mutt.  Sophie was listed on Craigslist, I didn't want to meet her because she is half border collie and I didn't think that would work for us.  When we met her she was a four month old pup and the sweetest dog I had ever met, sooooo gentle and loving.  She is my heart dog, it's like a spiritual connection, just amazing.

We decided we wanted a second dog when Sophie turned a year old.  My children wanted a dachshund.  There are not many breeders around here that are high quality from what I could see.  We decided to look on Petfinder.com.  We found Cruiser and "knew" he was the one.  We spoke with his foster mom constantly and he sounded like such an amazing family dog.  He was at a foster home in TN, we live in NH.  We took a huge leap of faith and put in an application, were approved, and two weeks later he was transported up here.  He's kind of a difficult dog, very stubborn, chews, and a few other behaviors that aren't "bad" but are things we have been working on him with.  He's a good boy though and I'm glad he's part of our lives.

I got Gypsy when I was 13 and just starting High School.  I was really too young for a dog of my own, and busy with my own life and activities at that time, but home she came anyway.  My sister had adopted a pregnant, mangy, skin-and-bones dog from the pound, mostly because she felt sorry for her.  That dog had her puppies that same day.  My sister still has Mathilda, the mother, and she somehow talked me into taking one of the puppies.  I really didn't even want a puppy.  I knew it was a bad idea, not the right time, and that my dad would be furious.  But I brought her home anyway, against my better judgment.  Gypsy was a demodex puppy.  She got over that fairly quickly, and thankfully has had no further problems.  However, she has always had some behavioral/fear issues, that I am convinced are largely genetic -- she was well socialized as a pup (by my sister).  Issues aside though, she has been a great dog.  She put up with me through all of my mistakes as a young and inexperienced owner, and she has seen me through both high school and more recently college.  I have come a long way as a dog owner since the day I brought her home.  In more recent years, I have developed a much closer bond with her that I really didn't have when she (and I) were younger, and I have come to really appreciate her for who she is.  I don't regret having her one bit.  But I do regret not being able to give her a better life when we were both younger and I was so inexperienced.

I brought Beau home my second year of college.  I was living in an apartment then, and I missed having a dog around.  Gypsy was staying with my parents while I was away at college, because my apartment only allowed smaller dogs.  But I made trips home often to visit the fam and Gypsy.  After a while though, I started kind of toying with the idea of getting another dog, a small dog, although in the beginning I wasn't (or didn't think I was) really serious.  Still, it couldn't hurt to just...ponder the idea...and start figuring out how I might make it work and if it would even be possible...just for future reference.  I started researching different breeds, looking at the dogs on Petfinder, reading about puppies and housebreaking, and learning what a good breeder was and how to find one.  Slowly, as I learned more and read more, and as I began to wrap my head around the idea, it actually seemed more and more feasible, and I became more and more serious.  I decided I wanted to go the breeder route, this time.  I began to narrow down the breeds I liked, finally settling on a Chihuahua, and eventually I began to search for a breeder in earnest.  I spent a long time finding the right breeder...and then waiting for the right pup.  After an eternity (or so I thought), I ended up with Beau, and he is my heart dog.  I wouldn't trade him for the world.  I did a much better job of raising him than I did with Gypsy, because I was prepared this time around.  I feel really bad knowing that I could have done so much better for Gypsy when she was younger.  BUT, because of Beau, I discovered internet forums, where I have learned soooooo much about what it takes to raise and own dogs.  And not only has Beau benefited from that, but Gypsy has as well.  I thought I knew a lot before.  I didn't.  Getting a new puppy (when I was finally old enough!) opened up a whole new world to me.  Beau is the reason I have learned SO MUCH more than I ever knew there was to know about dogs in just the past 3 1/2 years.  And I am only getting started.  Also thanks to Beau, I know what a wonderful breed the Chihuahua is, and I will absolutely own more in my lifetime.

I don't know yet what my next dog will be, but I know that when the time is right, it will find me.

 Well, I have Dakota because I loved the look of huskies. I knew nothing about the breed though - just that they were pretty and I wanted one. And she was the prettiest bunch of the litter.

I have Neiko because I wanted the energy of a husky but with none of that escape artist DNA. I did a lot of research in to aussies and in to breeders and settled on Neiko's parents. I anxiously awaited the day of his birth and selected him out of 3 litters (19 puppies total). Oh and I got him when I did because Dakota is getting old and I didn't want to be left without a dog, even for a day, when she passes.

I have Lily because I'm a sucker for red merles.

I have Abbie because she's my failing foster. 

I knew one day I would have a dog. It just went along with all my other dreams of how I saw my life. Husband, kids, house with a picket fence and a dog. So first I got the husband. We lived in a small apartment and liked to travel when ever possible - so the kids & dog were on hold. Then we bought our first house. We were both working to pay the mortage ($225/month LOL!) so we opted for a cat. When I became pregnant, I quit work to stay home and ended up having 3 sons. Raising the boys was all time consuming and once again the idea of getting a dog was put on hold for the next 15 years, although I never stopped taking about it. We eventually built our dream home, the kids were all teenagers and life finally came with some extra time. Then 6 years ago, on Christmas morning my husband handed me a small gift. When I opened it there was a dog bone with a note saying - "This bone comes with your choice of dog - Merry Christmas!" 

It took me almost a year to decide on a breed and find the perfect Aussie. Kobi arrived in our lives the next spring and shortly there after I got my picket fence. I was blessed. My dream life complete!