Firstly I had some conditions for Mr. T.  He had to commit wholeheartedly to parenting, training, exercising, and loving our new puppy.  This was going to be a 50/50 deal.  He agreed.

I painted a very unglamourous image of parenthood to test his commitment.  He was unwaivering.

I called a local pound and they put me straight onto Mrs. Alpha.  I called Mrs. Alpha and told her our story, we had a long conversation and she was extremely helpful, and at the same time impressed with our research.  She had a male puppy 10 weeks old, the runt of a litter of 10 that she was eager to place in a loving home.  

The catch was he needed someone to be with him all the time.  No issue as we both work from home.

I then called another breeder who had a puppy who she had promised to another lady but she was unsure of her circumstances.  She liked the sound us and proceeded to interview me, asking very probing questions.  I felt uneasy that potentially she could change her mind about us, or that we may end up with a dog that was destined to be with someone else!  I didn’t like the fact that we couldn’t choose our own puppy (but really how easy could it be to choose just one!) and it sounded like we had no power to decline if for some reason upon meeting, the puppy didn’t meet our expectations (through no fault of its own!).  As it turned out she did change her mind, but we were ok with that.

I was pleased about the probing questions, such as what would happen if my partner and I split.  I couldn’t speak for him but I said that without a doubt the pets would stay with me – at this stage we were thinking about adopting a kitten or two, though Mr. T had decided that is what we would do – and I would encourage Mr. T to play an active role in their lives where possible.

I added more conditions to the list that Mr. T had to agree to!

I called a few more breeders and there were no puppies available, or I just didn’t feel a clique like I did with Mrs. Alpha.

Mrs. Alpha’s style was less formal and more conversational.  We spoke a couple more times at length.  She didn’t have to ask probing questions, she probably summed me up fairly well from our discussions. 

We made a date to go and see the little puppy!  All within a week of making our decision.

We were so excited, but somehow a little fear crept in.  Mrs. Alpha had offered us a good deal to take him because he wasn’t show quality and she wanted to home him quickly.  Others had put some funny ideas in my head about him having special needs that had not been disclosed yet.  We worried about having our hearts broken. 

So I hatched a backup plan.  I looked on the RSPCA website and found a Rottie Cross called Suzie.  She was adorable.  I rang them several times to enquire about her and left messages on the answering machine.  I became quite desperate, frantic – all on the morning of our intended visit. 

I wanted certainty.  An image, some reassurance.

She was already adopted and we set out with butterflies to meet our little boy!

 Ms. S