Getting Zenzi

Miss Moonbeam Was Very Happy To Have a Puppy!!

<

First Puppy Socialization Day

Even with Other Dogs, She Stayed Behind Me!!

/tbody>

Here I am Very Proud of Her Staying Behind Me As I Ski

AAAAHX0/6dJC1FvaIuU3AUPCqF7RnNclGvuJvAY6ACLcB/s1600/IMG_0032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"> Learning to Follow Skiers



Socialization at a Friend's
 

I didn't know if I could actually go through with it. It had been a very rough couple of months for us. I had been researching German Shepherds for months, but hadn't gone any further than that. While I had studied them, I'd made a long trip to what I thought was the most prestigious kennel in the state. I'd not pictured the meeting this way at all. The owner wouldn't let me look at her puppies or most of her facility. Instead she'd kept me by my vehicle and let out one or 2 dogs at a time for me me to meet. The dogs had no manners. They'd either jumped on me or acted strange. None of them seemed smart at all. One of her studs had acted like it was going to attack my 8 year old. The incident was terrifying. I realized that there was no way I could let myself get placed on her waiting list. Fancy Pedigree or no pedigree, this just wasn't what I was looking for. It was a long and emotional trip home.
I'd also talked for hours on the phone with other breeders. Many of them seemed like genuinely nice people, but every time something stopped me. For one thing, my family was still very shaken by what had happened with Sheeba and not every one was ready to trust another dog into the family. Still, I'd messaged other breeders and one I'd been messaging for weeks. They wanted a good sum for their pups, but they seemed to be the real thing. They were also not far from me.
One day, on a stressful trip to town, my husband shockingly consented to driving me up a mountain out of town to the breeder I'd been messaging for weeks. I didn't have a lot of hope, yet something kept driving me to do it. It was dark, and the fencing around the house seemed forboding. I imagined the same crazy shepherds I'd encountered a month earlier. My husband sat in the car, frustrated with me. I looked back and called out across the dark proerty...........
In the end, I'd sat inside a warm couple's lovely home on the floor with puppies chewing my head and hair. The mom and dad were friendly, wagging their tails and played with me as well. One puppy crawled up into my arms and fell asleep. It was just oozing with sweetness. Something happened to me sitting there holding that puppy. I felt perfect peace. I knew this was the one.
A week later I was feeling really nervous. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas and I'd worked part of a day shift at the hospital. I'd brought the kennel with me and cash, but inside I still didn't know if I was actually going to it. All day long I felt nervous. I wanted my whole family to be on board with me. I didn't like the idea of going out on a limb by myself, but I'd felt so much peace about her.
My boss told me to go adopt the puppy and so did the other nurses. I drove up there nervously and spent 2 or 3 hours talking to the owners. I just really liked them and I really liked their dogs. The peace never left me. That night, very late, I drove home with her. I still didn't know how receptive my family would be to her. I didn't know if I would have what it took to be a good owner. I didn't know how any of it was going to work out. I just went with my peaceful feeling and hoped for the best.