Tig

I know I said I wasn't ready, and that I wanted to wait until the girls were older and that I didn't want another puppy but I guess I was wrong.

On Saturday we welcomed Tig into our family.
 He is a 9 week old German Shepherd puppy and I am in love.

Chris and I had been talking for about a year about what kind of dog we'd like to have next and I had suggested a German Shepherd. I had grown up with a Shepherd Collie mix and she was such a great dog. We have had several Pit bulls and while I will always be an advocate for the breed, I wanted to have a different kind of dog for a change. We had talked about going through a rescue to find one but the more we learned about German Shepherds and how they bond, we decided that it would be best for our family to start from the beginning and get a puppy.

We had recently rescued a French Bulldog and she hasn't quite been what we expected. She hasn't bonded with us, and in fact wont even let any of us get close to her. It's one thing to have a 20 pound toothless dog with baggage but I didn't want to risk getting a 80 pound German Shepherd with an attitude.

We talked to several breeders on the phone, one who was the typical 'dog person' that just talked and talked and talked and right away I could tell I didn't want to buy from her. She reminded me of several "breeders" we know that have proven to be very unethical and dishonest. We ended up driving to Houlton, which is about 120 miles north, to buy him from a breeder who didn't try and convince us of his knowledge of the breed. He showed us pictures of many of his puppies and really seemed to know a lot about the dogs without seeming arrogant about being a dog breeder.

I am looking forward to teaching Tig to walk on a leash and general obedience. This is the first time I will have the time to really work with one of our puppies full time. Pie has already been put in charge of toy duty, making sure Tig learns what toys he can play with and what he can't. She has proven to be a great helper.