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Last week we finally got a chance to bring our new friend home. All of this started in September when I realized that, with Jill going off to college, I was going to need to have something fun to look forward to after busy season. So I though very hard about it and I gave Mr. Fun a couple of choices. We could either get a puppy or we could move to a new house. I was surprised at how easily he agreed to a new puppy!
We knew we wanted a labradoodle. Their personality would be much like our awesome golden retriever but I could get a smaller, allergy free dog. I was also hoping for an apricot colored girl. A girl would get along better with our boy dog and apricot is the color of our floor. That sounds crazy, but it’s just easier to match them!
I started my search for our new friend by contacting a few different breeders asking if they could keep us on a list in case any of their dogs were returned. I really didn’t want to do the whole puppy thing. I already have enough sleepless nights in my life. I don’t need to add a puppy to that! I also didn’t want to have to worry about potty training. But, alas, there were no breeders with dogs to adopt out. (I actually REALLY wanted to adopt a ‘used’ dog like Cooper but there aren’t any ‘rescue’ operations that I could find. I guess because these dogs are so popular?
I quickly narrowed my search by location, (we wanted to meet our new furry friend before we adopted her), the website (you’d be surprised how many terrible sites are out there!) and, of course, how nice the breeder was. We were sold on Bonnie from Barberry Brook Labradoodles immediately! She did not have any older dogs but she had two litters of puppies that were getting ready to go home. That got my brain thinking. I wondered if she would consider holding on to one of the puppies for us that we could get after my busy season was done. (Listen people. I know I sound crazy. That this puppy thing was just a wild hair. But I know how much work a new pup/dog is and I knew I couldn’t add that crazy to my busy season. I do have my limits!)
When she got back to me I did a little happy dance. She did have one puppy that was a possibility. This sweet girl had an issue with a valve outside her heart. It didn’t close when she was born like it was supposed to. Bonnie and Andy are 100% committed to their dogs. To making sure they only send home healthy dogs and to making sure their pups are well cared for. They took her to a specialist who recommended a simple procedure down at Oregon Health Sciences University. They took her immediately. No questions asked. That is exactly when I knew we had found the right breeder.
And can we talk about Poppy for a minute? She is a girl. Check. She is apricot colored. Check. She will only be 35 pounds. Check. She is older. Check. I just knew she was going to be just fine and that she was meant to be our puppy. We asked what they had been calling her. We had two names picked out from the Harry Potter books and we weren’t sure which one we wanted. When Bonnie admitted that she had just been calling her ‘puppy’ we KNEW this was a match made in heaven. Poppy was one of our name choices and she was meant to be ours!
I am not even going to go into all of the amazing goodies Bonnie and Andy sent us home with because I don’t want to make you jealous. Suffice it to say the this puppy has EVERYTHING she needs until she is a teenager. (And Bonnie took the time to learn about me so she chose some things to perfectly match my loves!)
Poppy has been a dream so far. No accidents in the house (This can not be said for Cooper. I think she makes him nervous and he has had some trouble getting outside in time. Didn’t see that coming!), she already knows to come when she is called and how to sit too. She adores her crate, and gets a little put out when Cooper goes into his own crate. Apparently all crates in the house should be hers.
I love her calm personality, puppy enthusiasm, and this amazing curly hair that is addicting to run your fingers through. We love that she chases her tail, can stand/hop on her back feet, and she likes to sleep on her back. She also snuggles right into your arms like a rag doll when you pick her up. She will look lovingly into your eyes while you stroke her fur and then give you a wet willy in your ear when you turn your head.
If you are looking for a new friend for your family you are in luck. Bonnie just found out that all FOUR of her females are pregnant right now, due in January. So many puppies! (Check out the link to her site above for more information.)
We are having so much fun and you will definitely be seeing many more pictures of her. Here are just a few to start off with…