What Was I Thinking???

Here's pics from yesterday's visit to see the puppies. I've narrowed it down to these two. The other bi-black male appears to have too strong a personality (already humping the other pups), and the female, while sweet, is of the shy retiring ilk. I like the bi-black the best at this point but he too will need careful watching. Since I already have a large, testosterone-laden pack I need to think not only of my needs but how the new pup will fit into the pack. He too is very assertive but I haven't seen any aggression. He's been the first one to greet humans and is very outgoing. The gorgeous bi-blue is also outgoing but not as much as the other guy. He is a thinker and at this point watches the other two before diving in. This could be a good thing. The breeders are trying to arrange for a temperament test and if so I will do everything I can to watch. There's been many discussion on the pros and cons of the testing but for me it's proved to be the litmus test as to the true personality of the puppy. Dusty, Shiloh and Blitz all were tested and stayed true to the outcome.

I've been having a few panic attacks on getting another pup. Before it was a driving need, but as Erik's job interviews have yet to yield an actual job our financial situation is getting scary. Our health insurance (paid for by Sony for 12 months) runs out end of this month. Then, unemployment insurance runs out a few weeks after that. Both these will significantly increase the cash hemmorage. My 2 jobs can help things a bit but it's not enough to keep up with all our bills. Oh, my. Then there's the TIME factor: training a puppy is a lot of work! And there's the classes - conformation (if he's a prospect), obedience, socialization. Then of course herding as he gets older. Moto still needs regular, consistent training. My goal with him is to take him as far as he can go, hopefully to OTCH. Training 2 young dogs is a lot!

On the positive side, I know if I really buckle down it can be done. It will take better organization of my time. I'm fortunate that both jobs are highly flexible and that I have long summer days ahead to get through the potty training and puppy basics.

I'm still tired from my Arizona visit but we are getting back into the swing of things. I have a stress-filled, busy work week ahead. But I've managed to get up early, train dogs and get ready and even have time to blog!

We'll see how these puppies grow out....still 6 more weeks to evaluate......