We're hoping to move within the next year or so, and thought we had put off the decision to get a dog until we got into our new place and settled.
A friend of mine called the other day and mentioned that they are getting out of the puppy breeding business. She tells me she has 90, yes *90* dogs and puppies to get rid of. All of them 'pure' bred, most of them with papers... and they are free. She has five breeds, we ran down each of them and decided that none of them really 'fit' what we would be looking for.
Until, I phoned her the next day to let her know that some friends were interested in her Dachshunds, and I asked her if she didn't just have any 'mutts', perhaps one of the pure-breds had escaped their hatch and 'hooked-up' with one of the others (we were thinking a Lab / Husky mix would be perfect). She giggled and told me that they did have a few "Labradoodles".
Labra - WHAT?!?!?!?! What in the world kind of a name is that? So, we Googled. And became interested... not a bad breed, especially with kids, which is a must. Then, we see that in some areas, they sell for as much as $2500! Probably closer to half of that around here, but still. We'll never be able to afford that much for a dog and papers aren't an issue for us, so whether or not they have them is neither here nor there.
So, I phone my friend to inquire more about these 'Doodles', as I find they are so affectionately referred to in the breeder world. She has a litter of four, they are seven weeks old, she thinks two males and two females. Mom and Dad are also available, but we really aren't interested in older dogs if puppies are available.
Ok, bring 'em over and lets have a look at them. Steve heads out to Wal-Mart to pick up a small bag of puppy food and various other small bits, just in case we keep one, to save us from having to get back out later.
Then he springs it on me... "Jodie, you know, if there are two females, we may as well get them both, as to get one." WHAT??!?!?!?!? (seems I've been saying that a lot lately!) I happen to subscribe to this philosophy whole-heartedly. The first dog I owned after leaving home, I soon realized that two really are better than one. Fact is, you'll *have* to leave them sooner or later and one having company keeps them from getting bored and into much mischief when they are alone... yeah right! It'll just make for twice the mischief... you know that and I know that and Steve knows that, too. But it sounds good, right?
He phoned the boys, as we always include them in 'household' decisions, especially ones involving pets. They were ecstatic! They had both not only heard of the breed, but had seen it before and they both agreed that a Labradoodle is a 'cool' dog. He also spoke with them about potential names (Steve already had them picked out) and tried to sway them to agree with his picks. He'll phone them at the weekend for follow-up ;)
I told Steve that this was completely his decision... I know me and when it comes to making decisions about pets, I'm led only by my heart which becomes complete mush, especially around big, fluffy puppies. I knew that Steve would be way more practical... not that he doesn't have a soft-spot for them, as well, just that I knew he could stay way more grounded than I could dream of.
They arrive with the four puppies... turns out there are three females, one male. One of the females has short hair and looks like a lab. The other two have the longer, wavy hair and look like all the Labradoodle pictures we've since found on the web. Steve takes one look at them, says, "We'll have the two long-haired females. It was nice to meet you both, I have to shower so I can get off to work."
It was that simple... and now, I'd like to introduce you to Edmundand Baldrick...
... and Bunny found a purpose :)
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