Chapter 1 - Choosing A Breed

Chapter 1: Choosing A Breed

A friend of mine asked recently, "Why don't you rescue a dog?  You've always had purebred dogs; why do you do that when it would be less expensive to adopt one and it could save an animal's life?"   For me, it's an easy answer.  A) I prefer a puppy because I want the maximum time I can get with a furry companion.   It is one of life's cruelest jokes that dogs and cats have such short life spans.   Anyone who has had to deal with a pet passing knows the severe heartache attached to it.  I would like to limit that experience as much as possible.   B)  I want to know what they will grow into.  That way I can anticipate the needs.  I can also train them early.

I prefer breeds that are small but not "toy".  When I got Millie I lived in an apartment on the third floor.  I house trained her to puppy pee pee pads.  It was awesome.  I never had to deal with the weather, going outside after dark, she didn't have to "hold it" when I was away from the house for an extended period of time, etc.   I wanted another dog small enough to train this way.

I definitely wanted to get my puppy directly from a breeder, so I turned to the AKC website and their "Find A Puppy" section.   Since shipping a puppy was not an option, I tried to find a puppy within a 100 mile radius of my home.

It appears the Coronavirus has caused a surge in pet ownership; it was quite difficult to locate a puppy.  Breeders informed me that puppies were getting reserved as quickly as they could list them.   Several breeders offered to put me on waitlists for future litters.   One breeder suggested that I check the AKC site a few times each day, which is how I finally located Harleigh.

A breeder in a nearby town, about 15 miles away, listed a litter of West Highland White puppies in early April (born April 1).    I immediately contacted her and was able to reserve a female. I sent in the deposit.   Unfortunately, I was not allowed to visit the litter during to the current health risks of Covid19.   The breeder told me she was going to let new owners come on May 26, the day after Memorial Day, to get their puppies.  They would be eight weeks old.