And So It Begins...

This morning we drove over 2 hours to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, to make a down payment on a dog that hasn't even been conceived.  Some time later this year we should be the proud new owners of a goldendoodle puppy, somewhat like the little guy below, who is already spoken for.

We filled out an application where we specified our preference for sex, color, hair type, size, etc.  My husband emphasized that we preferred a dog who was engaging like Jake, as opposed to the sweet, placid wallflower that Dylan was.  In truth, I just want the clone of Levi, who immediately bonded to me.

Levi is just one of several multi-gen goldendoodle studs who will be paired up with an appropriate female during the coming months to produce the perfect litter for us (and everyone else on the waiting list).  Levi has the additional distinction that he gives to a doggy blood bank every 7 weeks.

My husband, in his typical thorough fashion, was the first to determine that a goldendoodle would be the perfect dog for us.  They shed very little if at all.  They have the temperament of a golden retriever and the intelligence of a poodle.  And they come in a variety of sizes, depending mostly on the size of the male.

He also sifted through the many breeders in the local area to find Amy at Fox Creek Farm, who was a pioneer in creating these "designer" dogs.  Along the way, she has donated many such animals for use as service dogs.  Her world revolves about the goldendoodle and she has many fruits of her labors to show.  One of her major concerns is the health of her dogs, so she certifies that the parent dogs are free of the many defects that can cause problems in their offspring.  She socializes the puppies from an early age so they adapt well to people.  She feeds them food free from the awful stuff that goes into most commercial dog food.  She does just about everything right, as far as we could tell.

So we paid our non-refundable money and will now wait until our puppy comes along the the next few months.  He will then stay with his mother for 8 weeks before coming home with us.

As much as we still miss Jake, we are both excited about the prospect of welcoming a new dog to our house.