I got a puppy!

About ten months ago a friend of mine told me her dogs were pregnant and if I wanted a new dog (mine had died about a year earlier) I was welcome to have the first pick of the litter. She was breeding (intentionally) both Rat Terriers and Boxers and I could choose either one.  I thought about it for a long time, I had always had shelter dogs and in my job I see too many animals at shelters all the time. My shelter dogs were the best dogs ever, true love! I knew there would be a lot of judgment from outside sources if I didn't get a shelter dog again. On the other hand, I had the opportunity to know who the parents were and what they were like as adults, where the dog was coming from and the home environment it would be raised in (three kids under seven!), and most importantly for me, I would get to be there from day one.

I did a little research and decided I would get the little dog I had always wanted, I chose a Rat Terrier. The day came and both sets of puppies were born and I went to meet them all. Good Heavens they were cute, I fell in love with all of them and would have happily been a hoarder with nine new puppies if my landlord and wallet had allowed it. Thankfully they didn't. I couldn't choose right away and the more time I spent with them the more I knew I was making the wrong choice.  Rat Terriers have lots of energy and need to run, while my yard is big, it's not a farm like they would grow up on. I did more research. I started online and when wikipedia had completely scared me away from Rat Terriers AND Boxers I decided to talk to actual people that I knew and trusted.

I'm lucky, in my job I know lots of people who know a lot about pets but the two people I trusted the most were people I was friends with as well. One of them works for a pet insurance company and to be honest he scared me even further away from Boxers, they don't always have a great health record. The other was my vet, with 22 years of experience, he was able to educate me even further and point out that for sure a Rat Terrier wasn't best for me.

Now I knew four things:

1. I wanted a puppy, they were cute and I was in love.
2. Rat Terriers weren't for me.
3. Boxers might be for me.
4. If I got a Boxer I'd better make sure I had pet insurance!

The next time I went to visit I chose the cutest female there was. I instructed my Breeder's kids on how I wanted them to help me train my puppy by gently pulling her tail, ears and feet. This puppy was going to be really used to kids! And then I started gathering all the puppy things you need, most importantly a matching pink collar and leash! Finally, I chose a name for her, don't ask me why but I named her Squish, and because I was there at the beginning she already knew her name by the time I brought her home.

Six months ago I brought home my rambunctious bouncing bundle of puppy. We've spent most days together since then, and I can say firmly I made the right choice for me. More than that I can say absolutely that the education I searched for before I made that choice, set me up to have the best pet experience I possibly could. If there is any one thing I could say to someone looking for a new pet it's "Ask questions!" You need answers, a lot of them before you get a pet. You might not know as many pet industry folks as I do but you have lots of options. Any vet clinic, breeder, pet store, humane society, pet insurance company or anyone else who deals with animals would happily answer your questions. They won't all say the same thing but you will get a good sense of what questions to ask and what's best for you.

Finally when you have your questions answered and you know what you want, go find it...and get ready to fall in love.

Lisa Milton, Squish's Mom, @summitLisa, lisa.miltonwork