Well, it's official...we're crazy! Crazy in love!! After waiting on pins and needles for this morning to come, it finally did and we did something we never thought we'd do! Maybe I should start at the beginning for those of you that don't know what I'm talking about.It all started a couple of months back. Our whole family has, for obvious reasons, felt a huge void in our lives without Saira. Even if she was just sleeping at the top of the stairs, simply knowing she was "there" brought all of us so much comfort and joy. It became clear to all of us that, despite the pain of losing Saira, having another dog in the family could be pretty nice. We have all missed Saira's companionship so much. She holds such a special place in our hearts that it would be impossible to ever "replace" her. But we knew that, someday, we could make additional room in our hearts to love another dog in its own special way.
So, for quite a while, we talked and talked about the possibilities of getting a puppy. For the longest time nothing ever went beyond casual chit chat. Then one day, we decided to go into PetSmart to see if they had any books that would help us decide for sure what kind of puppy would be best for our family when the time came to make it happen. Well, we found a great book and spent a good deal of time looking through it. When all was said and done, the two breeds that Scott and I really loved (and always have) were the cocker spaniels and labradors. The decision was pretty easy from there since Scott and I had both decided early on that even though we love cocker spaniels, our next dog wouldn't be one. There would just be too many comparisons between Sairy and the new pup...not fair to the new little one! That left us with labradors...labs are adorable in all colors, but both Scott and I have always loved the yellow ones. So, it was settled that, someday, a yellow labrador it would be!
At 9:00 p.m., we were instructed to leave the store because they were closing. As we strolled back through the aisles we were both questioning, "Where do you get a good lab? Pet store? Breeder? What is a good lab?" Well, as we exited the store, a woman stood before us with an adorable yellow puppy on a leash. I was quick to ask if the puppy was a lab and she confirmed it was. Now, I believe it was more than just "luck" that we ran into this woman. We truly believe it was part of God's plan. This woman not only had the very dog we were considering, but she was a veritable smorgasbord of labrador information! She directed us, in particular, to a respectable breeder that she found when she was looking for her dog. We thanked her for the plethora of information and walked back to our car, happy to have gotten answers to some of our questions.
(I'll try to speed this story up a little now, I promise!) To make a long story a little shorter, we checked out the breeder and each of its dogs. We really liked how thorough they were with info on each dog and what a person could expect from each litter. Plus, they had great resources for potential/current labrador owners, and they strongly encouraged people to come out and meet the parents of the puppies. We found that a yellow lab pair had just had a litter of puppies on April 20th. Out of curiosity, we decided to just see how hard it would be to acquire on of these pups. We discovered that eight people were on a primary list (already guaranteed puppies from that litter if they still wanted one) and everyone else would be placed on a secondary list. We really liked this breeder (and the puppies were so adorable) we decided to put ourselves on the list just to see what happened. We ended up being number 23 on the list, but realized we still had a chance for a puppy when we discovered that the puppies were on a first-come, first-served basis for those on the secondary list.
We visited Alderwood Labradors when the puppies were three weeks old. We held each one and made notes on each that we liked (just in case we actually had a chance to get one). We also got to meet the parents and all of the other labs there. It was so neat! In the end, we felt a strong connection with #1-10 (all puppies are tagged with a number). She was the runt of the litter but had a very spunky spirit for being the littlest one there. She was so full of snuggles and kisses that it brought me back to the time when we picked out Saira (who was also the runt of her litter). #1-10 had the same sweet disposition as Sairy did when she was a puppy. We instantly wanted her! We went back home that day and talked non-stop about that dog. We told the kids about the possibility of getting a puppy but explained they shouldn't get their hopes up too high. When the puppies were four weeks old, the primary list was given the opportunity to reserve a puppy. Only four of the eight on the list actually reserved. So, that meant an even greater chance for us to get a puppy! The breeder told us he thought we had a very good chance of getting the pup we wanted. Scott and I began talking names. We liked either Sami or Lily for the pup. The kids made the decision that, if we were lucky enough to get one, she would be called Lily Ann.
Upon receipt of an email from the breeder indicating that the pups (not chosen by those on the primary list) were now available for reservation, those of us on the secondary list would all have an equal chance to place a deposit on the puppy of our choice. You just had to be the first to call, order online, or (as we decided to do) be in their driveway with your deposit and puppy number after the breeder sent the email.
This brings us to today...we knew that Joel and Sharon (the breeders) would be sending out the email between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. So, we decided to be in their driveway by 8:00 a.m. to get one more look at #1-10 and be the first to claim her once the email was sent. Sharon took us into the kennel and told us we should pick out a couple of them and bring them into the house to separate them from all the other pups. This way, we would be able to see their personalities a little bit better and determine which one was really the best pup for us. We, of course, picked #1-10 and #1-7 and brought them inside. We spent nearly two hours playing with them and grew attached to both. We wanted #1-10 so badly, but #1-7 was winning our hearts over too. We were having a very difficult time choosing between the two when Joel called to us, "Okay, Scott, Kim...it's decision time." We decided to go with #1-10 because we had come for her in the first place and she was so cute. Neither of us wanted to let #1-7 go though because she was so lovey and sweet. We joked about taking her too. The phone rang...it was someone wanting a puppy. Suddenly, we both looked at each other, stopped joking about taking her, and started to seriously consider it. To be honest, the idea of a second dog freaked me out, but I didn't want to let her go! I didn't know what to do. Scott and I had talked many times about how neat it would be to have two dogs that could keep each other company, but we hadn't gone there with that idea in mind! I had also read a lot about labs doing really well with a buddy. Apparently, they get into less trouble when they have a friend.
Needless to say, I was mush...totally unsure of what to do. Scott suddenly decided and says to Sharon, "We'll take #1-7 too." Sharon yells upstairs to Joel, "They've confirmed #1-7 Joel." Joel tells the person on the phone to hold on for a second. "What Sharon?" Joel asks. Sharon repeats herself. Joel goes back to his phone call and we hear him say, "Oh, I'm sorry #1-7 just sold." I couldn't believe it! We were able to reserve not just one, but two of them! Joel gets off the phone and leans over the rail. He says, "Boy, that was really close. The guy that was just on the phone initially called to reserve #1-10. When I told him she was sold, he asked for #1-7...a few seconds later and I would have had to sell her to him!"
It had been a whirlwind couple of minutes, but both of us were so thrilled when it was over! Sure, we were a little anxious about what it would be like suddenly having two dogs, but we were so excited and relieved that #1-10 would have her sister to grow up with!
We will be able to pick up the girls on the 6th of June after their first round of puppy shots and the family is very excited! We are all anxiously awaiting Lily Ann (#1-10) and Sami Grace's (#1-7) arrival!
Thanks for reading my crazy-long ramblings! As consolation, here are a couple of cute pics of Lily and Sami to help you forget how bored you were while reading this! These are definitely not the best shots in the world (as the lighting was a little dim), but it gives you a little preview of the newest members of our family! I promise there will be some better pics of them after they get home! XOXO
Sami Grace and Lily Ann
Sami
Lily
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