Shandy, my first Labrador
Back in 1996, I picked up Shandy. She was a chocolate lab and I remember arriving at the breeder’s home, greeted by a herd of a dozen chocolate labs. They all ran out to say hello. During that moment a tiny little voice in the back of my head said, “He has to be the luckiest guy in the world to get to spend all this time with so many puppies!”
That little voice sat silent in my head for many years, but Shandy was a joy. Such a great dog for my kids to grow up with.
I Had a Whole Pack as a Kid
When I was little, around six, I had a favorite tree in the corner of the yard, where I would love to sit and design my pack of dog friends.
I had about six dogs I’d designed, some were purple, some pink, some had unique patterns that you really don’t find on dogs. It was fun and they were my friends, adventuring with me in the backyard.
Dogs have a way of providing us friendship in ways we can’t always find in humans. They love us, flaws and all (so long as we have some cheese). They’re the closest thing to unconditional love that you can find on earth. My hope is that one of our puppies can be that for you or your child.
The Match is Important
While we had a German Shepherd for a while growing up, he was more my parents’ dog than mine and wasn’t around during my childhood years. We got an Irish Setter and Siberian Husky as well. While my parents always believed in getting purebreds, they failed to understand how different each breed can be, which is why they broke my heart by swearing off getting dogs after the Husky.
He was a little too smart for his own good and liked to escape the yard. He could open gates, scale walls, and was often found rounding up the horses down the road at a neighbor’s farm. He was hard to contain and while he was a wonderful dog, his antics made it hard to not be frustrated with him.
This experience sparked my interest in temperament testing. I fully believe that finding the right match of puppy and owner is the key to a successful relationship between the two. When your dog aligns with your lifestyle, he’s easier to manage, easier to train, and ultimately more fun to have around.
