Thursday, September 13, 2007

To Tulsa, Or Not To Tulsa?

The breeder for my yet-to-exist PWC puppy is located about 30 miles outside Tulsa, Oklahoma. Originally the plan was to have her choose a puppy for me based on a "want/don't want" list of qualities that I've given her. I figured she would know the puppies far better than me, and would be better to choose a puppy that suits me. I never planned on making a trip to Tulsa, thinking it was too far, and it wasn't really necessary.

That was in the beginning. Now I've been thinking a lot about it, and I'm starting to change my mind. What if the breeder sends me the lamest puppy because she wants to get rid of it? Ok, probably not, since she's only been responsible and kind so far. But what if she just doesn't get what I want? What if she sends me the puppy I asked for, but we just don't bond like I might have with a different puppy? The more I think about it, the more I feel like I need to go there and choose.

Am I just being paranoid, or am I crazy for even thinking of not going? Even just to stay overnight, it's going to cost a pretty penny. I did some calculations today, and assuming airfare costs don't go up anytime soon, it'll cost me about $600 to fly out and stay there for the weekend (which is actually more than the puppy itself costs!). I'd also be going alone, since Husband isn't willing to pay for both of us to fly out there. I keep thinking, what if I go there and choose a puppy that is all wrong for me? But then I think, what if I go there and find the perfect puppy? I read stories about people bonding with a certain puppy of the litter, and end up having a perfect partnership. I want that!

What should I do? Would you let a breeder choose a puppy for you?

4 comments:

the Corgi Girls said...

Hi, this is Moxie... the breeder sent mom Izzie... all the way from North Carolina (we're in Ohio)... mom didn't actually get to pick either of us... so she's never had the option of looking over a whole litter of pups and choosing one.

Breeders can be very knowledgeable if they've had several litters and are active within showing the breed and breed clubs... ours had both been breeding for many many years... and could tell a lot about the dogs personality during puppyhood. Other than color, what other kinds of requests did you have?

JuLo said...

Oh good, I'm not the only one! :)

Here's the list of characteristics we said we preferred in our puppy:
•Friendly and sociable
•Smart
•Calm/Mellow
•Affectionate
•Sweet Temperament
•Happy
•Playful

We also said we wanted to stay away from the following temperaments:
•Aggressive
•Overly Hyper-Active
•Shy

Do you have any suggestions for things I could be missing? I said sociable, but I think I'll specify "plays nice with other dogs and people".

JuLo said...

Oh, I should also add we have a good sense of humor and don't mind some goofiness...ok, lots of goofiness! :)

Cody, THE Fussy Pot Pants said...

I dunno much abt choosing puppies, but i think chemistry is impt. If u know the breeder is reputable, then yes, I would trust them to pick one.

But then again I stay in a small island, where travelling across the widest point of the island would only take me 30mins on a gd day.

- Cody's Mumsy