We've always been dog lovers. With both mothers-in-law allergic to cats (and neither of us with a great affinity for cats), dogs have always been our option for household pets. I grew up with a variety of mix breeds ... "Trampus" who looked just like the dog Benji from the movies (we think he was taken from our yard because of this resemblance), then "Aggie," a black-and-white terrier mix. My husband grew up with dogs as well ... a beagle then later a dachshund.It seemed logical to us, then, after we were married, to get a dog of our own. We wanted a smaller dog since we were living in an apartment then, and spent lots of time searching at local shelters and in the classified ads. (How old do I seem when I say that the internet was not an option for us then?) Finally, we got a call from the local rescue shelter with just the right dog for us! The previous owner of this dog had dropped her off, saying she just didn't realize she was allergic to animals until she'd brought one home. This dog was healthy, small, young, and ready for adoption ... all we'd asked for.
The manager of the shelter had even taken this particular dog home, thinking she'd keep her. She found that the dog didn't get along well with her current dogs but still had her at home. She gave us her home address and we planned to stop by on our way out of town to take a look. When we drove up, we saw an adorable fluffy puppy on a leash in the front yard. She was obviously quite annoyed with the leash and, as we parked, she chewed through the last of the leash and took off running ... away from the house! I immediately loved her ... and she became ours.
Her name was Shadow, a full AKC-registered Cairn Terrier, and she was just 6 months old. We loved her immediately and took her with us on the spot. Now ... after fifteen years of pet ownership (yes, she turns 15 this month!!) ... we decided we're ready for a new puppy.
The big debate? What kind of puppy?
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