Five Dog Quartet

So I finally got Ben to agree. I'm sure those of you who know me well and also happen to read my blog can guess. A puppy! A sweet little Papillon puppy! Never mind that I had to work endlessly to get him to agree, and that first, I must get Basil more reliably trained and housebroken. But I figure within 6 to a year I will be on the hunt. Of course I will have to find a good breeder, and probably get on a waiting list, so it may take much longer, but that's ok.

After adopting Basil who by accident turned out to be a Papillon, I have fallen completely in love with this breed. I love his feisty personality and his utter devotion to me. I love his cute fringed ears, and his little hare feet with their tufts of fur. I love his energy, his playfulness, and the way he cocks his little head at me with that cute "who me" expression. I love everything about this breed, and since the first week I had him and someone said "oh look at the cute Papillion", I have been researching this breed trying to get into his cute little head.

Many people I know will have issue with my going to a breeder, especially since I have worked in animal shelters for so long. However, while I agree most people should get a shelter dog, if you have your heart set on a certain breed, you've researched it fully, and have decided to make a life long commitment to an animal, I have no problem if you purchase from a breeder. However, I'm not talking about looking in the paper, or walking into your "friendly" neighborhood pet store. I'm talking about doing research, checking with your chosen breed’s national club, talking to people and making an informed decision on what breeder you want a dog from. Get on that breeders list and wait.

Now I know this goes against everything we here in America stand for. We need everything now, now, now! Trust me, the health problems you will get from a badly bred dog are not worth it. I know, Basil is cute, he's lovable, I would never give him up, and I don't regret the thousands (yes really) of dollars I've spent on him. It just would have been nice to actually enjoy his puppy hood instead of constantly running from vet to vet for x-rays, breathing treatments, and medicine. I would have loved to watch him play happily instead of running fevers, coughing, and wanting to do nothing more than lay on his bed and be left alone because he was so sick.

So I will pick a breeder and I will wait, I may hate it, but I'll do it anyway. In the mean time, Basil and I have some training to do.