Becoming Puppy Parents
I had 4 specific dreams for my life as an adult 20-something. They were/are: find love (and get married), become an eye doctor (or some other job I would be happy with), have kids, and lastly (but certainly not the least) become a Corgi mom.
I honestly cannot pin point the exact moment I became absolutely obsessed with Pembroke Welsch Corgis but I know that ever since that time, my determination to have one, love it and care for it has grown out of control. I remember when I first met Cliffton and told him about my OCD (Obsessive Corgi Disorder) and he wasn't completely sold on the little dwarf legged fluff balls with giant antenna ears. But I kept showing him pictures and videos daily until I think one day he snapped and caved to the idea. Back in 2014, there was even a brief moment where Cliffton thought about getting me a Corgi for my birthday, but after some serious thought decided to wait. I'm honestly glad we did though, because having a puppy is a huge commitment.
After getting back from our 'round the world trip last August and settling back into the normal life, I focused all my energies into finding our little Corgi pup.
My previous family dog was a rescue, so I had very little knowledge about breeders and what the process was like. I really grappled with the ethical and moral dilemma of puppy mills and backyard breeders vs. adoption. But, against my righteous animal loving conscience I really wanted a purebred corgi. Adoptions and rescues were harder to come by in my area without a great deal of patience. So, while I'm a huge animal lover and did my very best to avoid a breeder that didn't abide by certain AKC guidelines, I found that if you're not adopting a dog there's a HUGE spectrum of good, bad and just-okay breeders. Many of the "just-okay" breeders are nearly indistinguishable from each other. I did my research. I contacted nearly 20 different breeders in the area. I asked many many many questions and talked to a couple of them on the phone a few times. After much consideration I chose a breeder and our future puppy from some pictures and videos sent by the breeder since it was about 4 hours drive from our home.
The week before pick up I doubted myself and the breeder several times and even considered not going!!! I was close to selecting another dog from a different breeder. My wise and very patient husband suggested going and just "taking a look" to make sure that our pup and the breeder fit all my standards. So we went. I was ready to say no if I saw any shady business going on. We were so uncertain, we didn't even have a name picked out for our little guy! The minute we drove up the gravel path to the farm and I saw our little fuzz ball sitting next to our smiling and waving breeder I knew we would leave with him.
Albear is now 1 year old and we lovingly call him "Beary". He's the friendliest pup you'll ever meet. He loves people and other dogs. He doesn't discriminate at all. He also loves carrots, playing fetch (he learned how to fetch right away), laying in the mud and ripping up papers. He's a huge coward, he's afraid of gnats and strange noises. He's also not much a complainer. Whenever he barks it sounds almost like a grunt of distain, hardly ever a full on howl. When it came to potty training and crate training, the sleepless nights never really happened because he adjusted rather quickly. We feel so so lucky to have him! And while he is a master chewer (he's gnawed through our walls, and baseboards) he has the most playful and loving personality of any dog I've ever met.
