What am I hearing is "calm, beautiful and big" You now have such a good handle on what you are looking for, and you have a breeder that you have met and that truly understands and supports this. So what is 6 - 12 months in the scheme of things? You can never have too much time to plan for these things.
Always go with your gut instinct and in this case Cara was not the right puppy mum, no way should you go forward if it doesn't sit 100% in your mind. Time will fly by and before you know it you will hopefully have a Devon puppy. I hope you don't feel too down and disappointed. xx
I wouldn't worry you know what you want. You just get the one that feels right. If Caras pups don't feel right leave them and go for the ones you are happy with . Just do what you want to you're going to be living with your choice for a long time. it might mean waiting a bit longer but at least you know it's the right pup for you
Yup. You know what you are looking for. Don't be pressurised if it's not right for you. (And definitely not by us lot! )
You know what, if you'd had a Cara pup, he would have been fabulous. All puppies are. Well, within reason. You'd have loved him and made him into the best service dog you could. You likely wouldn't have had any "what if"s once you'd brought him home. But, at this stage, if you feel that Devon's breeder is your breeder, then stick with it. She's experienced and knows how to pick matings. Out of any mating, she will pick out the best puppy for purpose. You can trust her. You may not be waiting as long as you think; I was prepared to stick with her for over a year waiting for the right pairing, but it came about far (far!) sooner than expected. Just because there's nothing planned right now, it doesn't mean those plans won't be made within a relatively short timeframe. I can understand why you feel as you do; it's not long since I was on the rollercoaster myself, but I think you are now settled on what feels right, even if it's not right now.
I ditto what everyone else has said. There's no point in rushing in just because there is a pup now especially with you not being 100%. I think you are making the best decision for you and that's all that matters x
Agreed with the above. Don't beat yourself up. You know what you want and it's ok to wait a bit longer to get it. And if your Devon-pup ends up being a high-strung small dog, well, at least you will know you tried to make it all work and you will deal with it. But if you went for the Cara-pup and it turned out the same you would still deal with it but could have some regrets that could make it more difficult. Keep your chin up, Emily! Your pup is out there, twinkling in some Labrador's eye...
By the time you'd finished your earlier post about Devon's breeder, it was ABSOLUTELY clear that this was the right result for you! I would have been amazed if you'd gone back to Cara's litter. Heaven's sake, you have waited this long, what is another few months? You know what you want and you know in your heart you have found it (or the closest thing you are likely to get). You have found your puppy. Now you just need to wait for him to arrive. Time to go back and start puppy-proofing your home. Mission accomplished! You have six months to stock up on sleep, to enjoy having ten fingers, to relish hair-free living, to buy all those things like Simple Solution, Chew Deterrent, car seat covers, air freshener.... Well done @Emily_BabbelHund .
Hah, if these months of Emily's membership on the forum have taught me anything, it's that she will already have been planning the puppy's wardrobe for every occasion from adoption day to Puppy's First Christmas, Puppy's First Walk etc etc. In fact, you know those cards you see people posing their babies with? "Today I said my first word" etc? I bet she'll have some made for the pup. "Today I did a gigantic poop in the front room"....
Thanks to all for the nice, reassuring words. It really, really helps. You all are (when it really counts at least ) very patient with my meanderings! I'm bizarrely proud of the tag line that @snowbunny cooked up for me, and don't want to give it up until the right time. How about I petition for a change when the as-yet-mystery puppy mom is actually expecting? Oh, perish the thought. Though I am flattered that you think I'm that organised. This, however, is VERY true: Christmas, Halloween and Bavarian tracht is already covered. I shall not disappoint. After all, between the dog and myself, one of us has to be stylish, and it certainly isn't going to be me. PS. OK, so here's some funny news. As soon as I got home this evening from my wanders in the Lake District, my mobile rings. It's Cara's breeder. She had four puppies between 11pm and 3am this morning. ALL GIRLS. So due to a quirk of nature, I don't need to feel bad about that decision at all (even if I was) because in the end there was no decision to be made. Even the breeder thought it was fairly hilarious, particularly as nearly his entire waiting list was for males. He said, "What are the odds? With that luck, I'm going out to play the lottery straight away!". If nothing else, I've made a new dog buddy - I got an invite to visit again in a week or so when I'm on my way back down south from Scotland. Puppies and good conversation - can't beat that!
I hope you realise that your puppy is SCOTTISH. Therefore you must celebrate Burns Night for him every year. I expect to see a photograph of him sporting tartan and/or the Scottish flag every January 25th.
Rosie, have a little faith. If I'm going to be visiting him in Scotland, then spending two months there until he can travel, that dog will have so many tartan bandanas and collars (maybe even a tiny doggie kilt?) that it will make your head spin.
You know, you don't have to stay in Scotland. The "no travelling until he's had his jabs" doesn't extend to the England/Scotland border
When I was on my last breeders waiting list I wasn't expecting a pup until the next year. The litter that Rory was in was weird 8 boys and 1girl so I got bumped onto this litter because there wasn't enough bitches and a load of dogs. Also some people dropped out for different reasons.you never know what might happen. Just seen what happens
He will definitely need a little kilt. And a little set of bagpipes. And a little haggis. And a little deep fried Mars Bar.
