Monday, December 11, 2006
How It All Started
When my adored 15 year old poodle, Lucy, died recently, I found myself in an unfamiliar predicament. For the first time in over 25 years, I only had one pet; a sweet
tempered, dainty little Chihuahua named Rosie.My house seemed so quiet, and Rosie seemed even lonelier than I was. It didn't take long for the idea to begin festering in my head that I needed a new puppy. Someone to brighten up the house again; someone to play with Rosie and snuggle behind my knees at bedtime. (Rosie already had dibs on the small of my back). My first step in getting the ball rolling was to enlist my grown son and tell him I needed a new puppy. My son takes good care of me and was an easy mark. I didn't purposely set out for him to buy me a puppy, but I certainly didn't turn him down when he told me to investigate which breed I would like and find a puppy and he would buy her for me. He told me, "Mom, don't settle for some breed you don't really love just because you want a puppy right away. Figure out what you would love and we will get it." WHAT A KID I HAVE!! Within hours, I had a notebook ready for taking notes and set out on the internet to research dog breeds. I had standards, after all. I wanted a no-shed or light-shed breed. I wanted a dog small enough to be friends with Rosie and not dwarf her. I wanted a female, who had no aggression, was fairly quiet, intelligent and eager to please. I wanted a perfect dog. I figured that shouldn't be too difficult.
For the next several weeks, I spent hours every day on the internet looking at article after article about dog breeds. I had made a list of breeds I was most interested in and day by day scratched breeds off my list as I discovered some trait I wasn't thrilled about. I had narrowed my choices down to French Bulldog, English Bulldog, Boston Terrier, Brussels Griffon and Italian Greyhound. As I surveyed my list, I realized I really favored the uglier breeds. You know the trouble with ugly breeds, though, don't you? They are more expensive than most cars I have owned. I am not rolling in money, and while my son is generous to a fault, I could not possibly call him up and say, "Hey, honey, I found the breed for me. I called a breeder in Timbuktu who has a pup ready for only $2,800 plus $500 shipping. But it's a really good deal, because the pup comes with a collar and a Purina puppy starter pack". So with a heavy heart I scratched both the French Bulldog and the English Bulldog from my list. (If I ever come into BIG BUCKS, just try to stop me from getting a Frenchie, though!) In the squishy-faced-flat-nosed-breeds, that left Boston Terrier.
I went to every Boston web site I could find, read books from the library and contacted several breeders in my area. We might have to drive a few hours, but there would be no shipping costs involved!! We were on the right track!! I dragged my son, Jacob, to a local pet shop to see what a Boston looked like in person. I wouldn't want to buy from a pet shop and I only wanted a female, but the little boy pup the salesman handed me was the softest thing I had ever felt. It was an indescribable softness; kind of a combination of clouds and velvet. Regretfully l handed the little guy back to the salesman, who was telling me about a special discount on this puppy ($100 off his usual price of $1100) because he was already 12 weeks old. Jacob and I high tailed it out of there before I signed away my future first grandchild as a down payment. I couldn't stop thinking about that softness, though...I have had a good number of breeds in my life, from poodles to goldens to greyhounds to mutts, and I have never felt anything like it. Ok. I was hooked. Boston Terrier it is!! I told Jacob the good news and set about finding a reputable breeder who didn't expect me to get a second mortgage on my house to pay for a puppy..
Stay tuned for THE PUP WHO STOLE MY HEART, coming soon!
"Tedd" 
"Scarlett" 
