Oh yes we did. Consider yourself warned . . .there are insane amounts of cuteness in the following post. This is kind of a long story, but I will try to keep it brief. Let me reiterate, I love Lily more than any other dog (and some people) in the whole wide world. She has been the best dog, friend, companion anyone could ever ask for. I know that she will live forever but there are others out there who have a different opinion. A few years back I began to think of this (slight) possibility and think about how I will handle it and what I can do to make the transition easier. Answer: nothing. Moving on
Some of you who know me know that I have always wanted another dog . . . specifically an English Creme Golden Retriever. This dates back years. They are basically just like golden retrievers, but with an English bloodline, a stockier build and their coats remain creamy white. I have done some research over the years but the timing was never right. Plus, I made a promise to myself (and Lily) that I would never go to a kennel where they produce puppies like machines. Instead, I wanted to find one in the same situation that I had found Lily, which is to say that a really nice family with a really nice dog decided to breed her just one time with amazing results. I didn't want to ship the pup, fly or drive insane amounts of miles to get her either. Too stressful on puppy (and me). Pretty much a needle in a haystack. It wasn't something I was fixated on but rather something that would pop into my head every now and then. However, in March of this year, I found that needle in the haystack . . . pretty much in my own backyard.
Meet Caper, an English Creme Golden Retriever
I don't even know how the conversation began, but somehow a girlfriend and I got to talking about dogs and I mentioned that I had always wanted an English creme but could never find the right fit. She said that she had a friend who had an English creme and she was planning on breeding her this summer. Even better, she lived on Isle of Palms. Crazy timing? I think not. Anyway, she introduced me to her friend Donna and I went to meet Caper. We talked and I told her I was interested in a puppy, we exchanged contact information and that was that. Donna and I became friends--she is so kind and warm and talented! She owns a home accessories store here called The Southern Curator. And she also has a little boy named Finn (this was the first of many signs that I needed one of her puppies!) Months went by and I forgot about it. Then I got a text: Caper is expecting! I set about convincing Mark, Finn and Lily that we needed one of these puppies. More time passed and then on August 30, Caper had 10 (TEN) perfectly healthy, white mini-furballs. One look and I knew one of those pups was meant for us. Oh, the dad's name is Hunley, he is a big beautiful English creme from Silvermine Kennel in Kentucky.
The best thing about having the pups so close was that I could go see them pretty much anytime I wanted. It was amazing to be able to watch them grow and change over the first 8 weeks of their lives. These next pictures are from our first visit to see the pups at about 2 weeks. We ended up picking the girl with the lavender collar and it's funny to see pictures of her before we even knew she was ours. Donna was so gracious, letting me come over every single week to sit with, hold and love on those puppies.
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!
No comments:
Post a Comment