Puppy Update

[mrissa]

"When are you going to get a puppy?" has joined "When is Mark's defense?" and "When are you going to have a book published?" on my list of questions I wish people would stop asking me. (I understand why people keep asking. I just really wish they wouldn't. I will let you know. I don't tend to hide information like this.)

But in the interests of getting people to stop asking, I thought I'd better share what information I have, now that I know more. Some of my grandmother's friends knew two reputable breeders, and Grandma got their numbers for us. I called them tonight. The first one was, shall we say, not the experience I'd been hoping for:
"May I speak with Rosemary, please?"
"Oh, she's passed away."
"Oh I'm so sorry! Oh! I'm so sorry!"
"Yah, 'bout a year ago now."
So I explained that I had been given her name as a dog breeder, and that if they were continuing to do that...no. No they weren't. They did have another name of someone who was, so I wrote that down as a backup and went on.

The second person I talked to said that she didn't have any puppies right this minute, but she expected new ones to be born in another week or two, and she can call and let me know what the sexes and colors are when the puppies come, and then if I'm interested, she can let me know when the puppies are old enough to meet people and maybe go home with somebody.

So we will wait and see what we hear on these puppies. And maybe they will be my puppy, and maybe they won't, but it will be worth finding out. And we know people who have a puppy from this breeder, and they say she's salt of the earth and wonderful with the dogs, so that's one less thing to worry about.

Comments

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Is asking the breed of these puppies an acceptable question?

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

They are poodles. Miniature or toy. Not teacup or standard: teacups are really just runty, unhealthy toy poodles, and standards are too big for anyone in the house but me.

Anyone who has comments about poodles as a breed should read the comments on this post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/mrissa/116735.html) so as not to go over the same points again.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to know what to visualize, since while "puppy" is a pretty good start, the difference between "Newfoundland puppy" and, say, "Italian greyhound puppy," is considerable.

Good luck.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Picture a handful of fur, essentially.

I don't know why that should choke me up all of a sudden, but I can remember what my last puppy felt like so clearly, from the time she was a baby (2# 2 oz. when we got her -- we knew they were selling her too young, and we decided better to sell her too young to someone who would know it and take care of her than to Someone Else, and she was ours) until the day she died in my arms.

I hope I'm ready for this.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

may i suggest that for your second dog you go with biddable instead of smart, says the sheltie owner who remembers the days before she owned a smart dog? ;)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh, shelties. I love shelties. Boo's best friend was a sheltie named Tasha.

This will be our first dog together. We'll just have to see who's out there, who we meet. In my experience, I've known my puppy when I meet her.

[ellameena.livejournal.com]

(checking out other comment thread...)

Hm. Miniature anything is not my favorite breed of dog, but I don't hate them. We have an English mastiff. Acknowledging that a choice of dog is a personal one, and that any breed can be either a wonderful or a terrible dog, I wonder if your other family members might be persuaded to reconsider the standard poodle if ya'll are thinking of adding miniature people to the household in the dog's lifetime. Standard poodles are great and very sturdy. I've known a lot of families with small children/small dog. It probably only works out fifty percent of the time, at best.

I actually don't understand people who "don't like big dogs." What's not to like? My brother-in-law and his family desperately need a big, happy, relaxed dog for their big, rough-and-tumble family. And you know what they have? Miniature dachsunds who bite their kids with regularity! They keep saying they don't have "space" for a big dog like ours. I've tried to tell them we could have a ten thousand square foot house, and Nala would be where she always is, right under our feet, in the way, and sneaking into our bed at night. :-) It's not really space you need for a giant breed. It's a good supply of thick, absorbant towels.

(Watch out on the allergy thing. That hypoallergenic dog dealie only works for some people.)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

No, the size of dog is not negotiable. Standard poodles are wonderful dogs, but we've discussed and researched this extensively to be right for our family.

For what it's worth, I've also known a lot of families with small children and big dogs where it really didn't work out well, either, including the breeds that are supposed to be child-friendly. Even a Lab is no guarantee if it's not the right dog combined with the right training. Not all big dogs are big, happy relaxed dogs, and not all small dogs are yappy biting menaces, not by any stretch.

On the other hand, I have a friend with a well-chosen and well-trained pit bull who is the gentlest babysitter anyone could ask for. I wouldn't bet on it every time, but it can certainly happen.

And yeah, if anybody in the house was allergic to dogs, we wouldn't be getting one at all. It's more that the poodles are less likely to bother visitors as intensely than that we're betting on them overcoming an allergy in-house.

[timprov.livejournal.com]

I actually don't understand people who "don't like big dogs." What's not to like?

I suspect this is largely because you're not male.

We really are the sort for small, relaxed dogs anyway. If there's a rough-and-tumble universe, our house is the place it's farthest from. (Well, ok, I exaggerate.)

[ellameena.livejournal.com]

I like all sorts of dogs (and other critters, too). My favorites are the larger breeds, but I think the small kinds are cute, too. The size of a dog would never be a deal-breaker for me. I think the most important consideration with the choice of a dog is training. Since you control the training, that's the easy one. It's also the number one thing people screw up. I consider myself highly knowledgeable about it, because I've spent the last eight years reforming our mastiff, who came to us with some "character flaws," shall we say. I've learned a thing or three. Coincidentally, the greatest malady afflicting small dogs, and the reason a lot of people tend not to like them is a lack of training--not the dog's fault.* I'd say the second consideration is finding a reputable breeder and checking out the parents--make sure the temperaments are okay and any breed-related health issues are kept to a minimum. The third thing I would look at is breed preference/high energy/low energy. After that, I'd consider size. Big dogs do cost more to feed, for one.

The problem with small children and small dogs, and I'm really only talking about children from about 1 to 3 here, is not that small dogs bite children per se. Big dogs bite sometimes, too (though proportionately less often, but with a bigger bite). The problem is that a tiny dog is defenseless compared to a strapping 30 pound toddler. The dog can get hurt, he knows it, he snaps to defend himself, it becomes a huge problem, and you can't really blame the dog. It's not insurmountable, but I'd never buy into it knowingly. When my son was a toddler, I often found him sitting on the dog, attacking the dog, standing on the dog's HEAD, etc. Lots of families raise babies and poodles together, it's not the end of the world. It's just something to consider. (There's also something to be said for making the choice that's right for your lifestyle NOW, rather than projecting endlessly into the future.)

Surprisingly, pit bulls, aka American Bull Terriers, are one of the best dogs for kids. It's just that the street dogs give them a bad rep. They are a really nice size, too!

Most men I know prefer larger dogs because they are somehow more "masculine." They have the reverse of the "don't like big dogs" prejudice. I think the perception of a miniature poodle as a relaxed dog may become a problem for you in the future :-). There aren't really any low energy small dogs out there, although plenty of them are perfectly nice. I like bichon frises a lot for personality. Poodles are popular enough that temperaments are all over the map. One thing I really appreciate about our dog is that she's usually quite relaxed. She transforms into a rug most of the time, actually. But she's not a very good jogging companion. :-)

Anyway, I just think it's fun to talk dogs. I'm not here to convert you to one breed or another. Sometimes I get frustrated with people who are looking for a dog, but refuse to consider something like a lab because it's "too big" even though it would probably be great for them! You've got to look at the whole package. It might be worth it to buy an extra twenty pounds of dog food a month if everything else is a good fit. Likewise, sometimes a smaller dog really is a better choice. My aunt recently got a small dog after a lifetime of being a big dog person because she developed an allergy to cats. She loves it! I think it's a cairn terrier. It's a great cat/baby substitute.

My husband and I have often joked about getting a pug because the color pattern matches our mastiff, and because they have a great personality, and we just think it would be hilarious to go for a walk with our regular dog and another dog that looks like the same dog shrunk in the dryer.