Sammy, the Bijon, Shitzu teddy bear mix (he said part 2)

“I looked at a few puppies at a pet shop and noticed a Bijon Shitzu mix that was on sale because it had been at the store for a long time.

He was four months old, so his cost was reduced.

Sammy was friendly, hypoallergenic and it seemed right.

i surprised both my daughters and they were very excited.

I set up a gated area in the living room with his crate and toys.

We had problems right off the bat because he pooped everywhere, including his crate and gated area.

I tried walking him constantly, but my wife and I weren’t ready to handle a puppy.”

Stanley, the red Poodle (he said part 2)

“I’ve wanted a dog for 5 or 6 years and decided when I finished school, that would be the right time.

I knew that I wanted a poodle.  I found a breeder online that my partner and I liked.  She had good reviews and when we contacted her she was very responsive.

She happened to be having a litter when we wanted a dog, so we decided to go for it.

We had never had a dog before and this particular breeder was helpful in guiding us through the adoption process.  She sent us weekly photos from the time he was born until he was 8 weeks old, when we had him flown from Alabama to NYC.

Once he arrived we got a trainer to help us with the fundamentals.  She helped with crate training, housebreaking and basic commands.

I underestimated how much energy poodles and puppies have.

We walked him a lot and went through lots of rope toys (that he chewed through).

We had to change our expectations for being social.  We couldn’t be away from home for too long.  He required our constant attention for about 4 or 5 months.  We weren’t comfortable leaving him in his crate for more than 2 hours.

As a pianist I thought playing classical music would calm him down, but when he wants to play there’s no stopping him. When I am practicing at the piano he brings me a shoe to get attention (because he knows he’s not supposed to take them).

He lets me know when he likes my playing.  He lies under the bench raptured in the music.

Music (especially classical) really does soothe the Standard Poodle.”

 

Nellie, the talking Beagle (she said, part 1)

“My husband and I fell in Love with Nellie.

We went to an event at ARF (the Animal Rescue Fund).  We had been talking about getting a dog forever, and we knew we were both vulnerable.

We never got to hear the speakers at the celebration of the animals because there was a van with the adoptable animals in it and I made a B-line for the van.

Nellie put her nose against the front of her crate and started talking to me.  I summoned my husband and he asked if we could walk her around the grounds. We took her for a walk and she was very happy to be out of her confinement.

My husband picked her up and she melted in his arms.  He was overcome with tears and we knew we wanted to be her parents.”