Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Priceless

Many years ago, my husband and I had a little puppy named Chloe.  She was a Siberian Husky.  And she was a runner.  Sadly, one night during a storm, part of our fence blew down and Chloe ran.  And she was hit by a car.

We knew Chloe needed a buddy, to keep from being lonely in the yard when we were away from the house.  We had planned to get her a companion, but were waiting until my summer vacation.  But that storm came along in the spring, and we never got the chance to get a buddy for Chloe.

The night that Chloe died, we cried all night.  But the very next morning, I grabbed the Dallas Morning News classifieds and found an ad that said "Siberian Husky pups for sale!"  We went and looked at a litter of 9 and picked out the two meant for us- Zoe and Scout.

They weren't ever lonely, like Chloe had been.  And they both lived long and very happy lives.

Now that I'm beginning to think about getting puppies again 15 years later, it seems things have gotten more complicated.

From lots of reading, and visiting a nearby dog park, and asking around, we're pretty sure we know what breed of puppies we want. (Australian Shepherds, in case you're wondering.)

But these days, the newspaper doesn't run nearly as many ads.  Now there's Craigslist, and eBay, and an internet full of breeders.  Many of the breeders ask for deposits before a litter is even born!  Or even conceived!  That seems crazy.

Zoe and Scout didn't have "papers".  And we didn't get them from a professional breeder.  Just a sweet family that happened to breed their husky so they could experience what it was like to have a litter of  puppies.  I think we paid a couple hundred bucks for each of them.  Now that I've read so much on the internet, the warnings of buying a dog from someone other than a reputable breeder are just scary.  "You get what you pay for",  I've read over and over.  Reading that stuff can make you believe that you'll end up with a sickly, troubled mess if you don't pay top dollar to a top breeder.

Sometimes, I start to buy into it.  But then, I remember where Zoe and Scout came from.  And how healthy, happy and sweet they were.  As the Visa commerial says...
PRICELESS!



15 comments:

Melissa Sarno said...

Yay! You're getting a new puppy! I'm so jealous. They won't allow dogs in my apt. building. :-( I'm sure you will find a dog that works for you. My good friend is a vet and she says, in her opinion, it doesn't matter where you get them from, the only thing that matters is that you meet the dog before you put down any money. That way you know it's personality, the conditions it is coming from, and uunforseen circumstances like whether or not you might be allergic to it or something. I trust her advice!

Mandy Saile said...

Oh you must miss your beautiful pups so.

What about adopting from a pound/shelter?

Do you think dogs and bunnies go to the same 'hereafter' when they leave us?

I have a really hard time when any of our bunnies leave us, they aren't just our pets they are our babies, our speacil version of children really...our heart of hearts, Ella Luna is going on 8, which is old for a rabbit and every single day my heart just seizes in my chest, completely panicking that she'll have to leave us sooner rather than later...ugh.

Anyhow...sending you a giant hug my fellow animal lover. I hope your heart is feeling alittle less tender now.

XO Mandy & The Bunnies.

p.s. Thanks so much for visiting my blog today.

Jess said...

Sensible to buy from a reputable place that's for sure! They're beautiful dogs aren't they?xx

Lisa said...

What about a rescue league?

Laurie said...

Aw...you're getting ready to plunge back into puppyhood. :-) Aussies are such wonderful dogs (then again, I'm totally biased in favor of any of the herding breeds)! I'd recommend you check with shelters or breed-specific rescue groups. If you've got your heart set on getting a puppy or two, even if you get them from a shelter, they'll be young enough that you can bring them up to suit you and won't have a lot of baggage. Best of luck...and can't wait for pictures when you find the perfect one(s)!

Marie a la Mode said...

Would you ever adopt? I'm glad you'll be getting some puppies. Although they'll never replace Zoe and Scout, I think they'd lift your spirits...Good luck with your search!

Valerie said...

I just looked up a picture of the Australian Shepherd--a puppy pictures was the first one that appeared...SO cute! Good luck in your search!

Now to change the subject briefly--I saw your question about An Idiot Abroad--I answered on my blog, but figured I'd add a note here too, so you don't miss it. It was a documentary style show, and you probably missed it because it aired on the Science channel of all places. If you like Karl Pilkington, you'll love this--I noticed they're showing two of the episodes this weekend and next week: Brazil and China. Karl's take on the great sites of the world was hilarious.

this free bird said...

This sure makes me sad, but also hopeful for your new puppies too. I think of you often when I'm looking at my cats. They're pals and I'm trying to enjoy every minute with them.

xoxo,
Carrie

Lis said...

Just throwing this out there ... I volunteer for a rescue group (English Springer Spaniels ... my first "boy") and if you haven't already, you might see if there is a group in Texas for Australian Shepherds. The great thing about rescue dogs is they are in foster homes, so you can get a sense of their personality & habits and needs. It can take awhile, but when you find the right dog everyone is so thrilled :) And while puppies may be rare, now is the time when you might find a rescue mama about to give birth (and if you want a springer puppy, I know one rescue mom who just delivered!)

Enjoy the search for your new babies!

xo Lis

Lori said...

Oh, this post really hit my heart. We have two retired racing greyhounds. My dalmation died a few years ago and broke our hearts. We adore our new dogs. I must say that it feels so good to know we "saved" them. Adds to the love. I can't wait to hear what you decide to do! Wishing you the best...

patty said...

We have always gotten shelter pups and been totally happy with each one. We do kind of have a thing for cocker spaniels - they are the perfect size for us and our motorhome and the perfect hiking companions. Last time we couldn't find one locally and I became pretty obsessed with petfinder.com. So many sad stories and awesome dogs! We had to travel a bit, but ended up with the perfect best friend who has been with us for 8 years now. Good luck - can't wait to see your new family member(s?)

Emelie - C'est LA vie said...

What a sweet story. Love the idea of getting sibling pups - I sometimes regret not getting Moses' brother as well... :(
As for the breeders conundrum; I guess it's one of those things where you just have to trust your gut feeling, right?
Can't wait to see what darling little pups you end up with! Xx

Anonymous said...

It's amazing how priceless love can be when you love so much!!

I've had puppies from breeders and the pound, and what I have found is LOVE is love, no matter what!! If you connect with the pooches, that's want counts. Lucy was from a horrible breeder who couldn't wait to get "rid" of her, so we felt we rescued Lucy from her and now she is the love of our life! Our dog Riley, who passed away 2 years ago, was from the pound. I still think of him and talk to him all the time! So to me, love rules regardless of where your pooches come from. They FIND you. What does your heart feel? Go with that, sistah =-)

xo
Gwynnie

Robin Norgren, M.A, R-YT, Spiritual Director said...

All the fear mongering DRIVES ME CRAZY! These two beauties PRICELESS YES!

Jadyn said...

Oh how fun that you're looking at puppies! I can imagine it's a bit of a hard dilemma with all the warnings out there. I've also heard from many, though, that some of their best dogs were ones they got from the pound or other places that weren't breeders. Ours is a rescue and although we've had some challenges with him, we wouldn't trade him for anything! Good luck Kerri! xx