Sunday, December 1, 2013

Our puppy!

After years of the girls (mostly Makenna) begging, and Quentin and I debating, we're finally getting a puppy.  Quentin and I both grew up with dogs but as a grown-up, the idea of a puppy just seemed like a lot of work.  But we realize what a neat opportunity it is for kids to have something to love and take care of, and what a blessing a new little life can be in a family. 
 
Ideally, we wanted to "rescue" a dog from a shelter.  But we never found quite what we thought would work for us, and we read a lot of things that made us nervous about shelter dogs.  We also researched different breeds.  I knew I wanted one that didn't shed (poodles, bichon frise, maltese) but Quentin liked the look of a cocker spaniel and loved what he read about cavalier king charles.  Imagine our surprise when we found a "new" breed, the cavachon -  mix between a cavalier king charles and a bichon frise.  So it's a great family dog, smart, and doesn't shed! 
 
We found a breeder in Clinton that was responsible and knowledgeable.  We contacted her last May and she said she had a litter of 7 that we could come and see, but that they were all sold.  She said she would be happy to meet with us and talk about the cavalier king charles (the mother), the bichon frise (the father) and the baby cavachons.  I figured it would be a good idea to get information about 3 breeds that we were interested in. 
 
So we met with her and I was surprised by how I felt.  I usually became overwhelmed when we looked at puppies or dogs and just wanted to bag the whole idea.  But after seeing the cavachon puppies and talking with the breeder, I felt excited and peaceful.  I even started to cry because I was surprised by how I felt!
 
We put a deposit down on the next litter that would be born in the Fall.  We would have first pick, which made us feel relieved.  The last few months have been like waiting for a real baby!  We've all saved up money, purchased supplies, and counted down the days.
 
On November 16, Quincy (the mom) gave birth to 2 little puppies.  Only 2 - her last two litters had 7!  There was a black and white girl and a brown, black and white boy.  So cute!  The breeder said that when Quincy had 7, she would feed the babies then lay outside of the pen so she could still hear them but not be touched.  But with only 2 babies, Quincy will sleep with them and snuggle wth them by her neck - so sweet!
 
We went to see the puppies (and got to see the mom and dad as well) yesterday.  They're 2 weeks old and soooo cute!  We're counting down 6 more weeks till we can bring our sweet puppy home!
 
(This is when they were just a couple of days old)
 
 
(This is when we saw them yesterday)
 
 
(The mom, on the left, and the dad, on the right)

 
 


No comments: