We've recently received news that next week we'll be able to make our puppy selection official! Through the weeks of watching the 7 pups grow, we've really liked the female with the purple collar. More than likely she will be our official pick and our Simone!
Simone will be Kaelyn's first puppy, and besides her fish, this will be her first high maintenance pet! Chad and I got a puppy together back in 2007. He was a Vizsla named Attila and we couldn't have been more excited to have him as a part of our family. Unfortunately, over the months of him being home with us, he slowly began to show signs of aggression. First over his toys, then food, and lastly our furniture. It was scary, and at the time I was pregnant with Kaelyn. I had never been a around a dog who acted with such aggression the way Attila did. I knew in the back of my mind we wouldn't be able to keep him, especially with a new baby coming into the household. Chad wanted to keep him so badly - more than anything he had wanted a dog, as our pet and his hunting companion. As much as we didn't want to return him to the breeder, I knew he had to go. I was scared to be around Attila by myself. We had to take away his toys because if he had one and anyone would walk past him, he would show his teeth and growl. He would try to snap at us while he sat on our furniture if he thought we were going to try and make him get down. This was not the type of dog I wanted around Kaelyn, and I think any parent would agree! The aggression only progressed, and at the time as we drove him back to the breeder, we didn't understand what had happened to cause his worsening aggression towards everyone.
We were sad dropping him off with the breeder and driving back down the road knowing we wouldn't see him again. It wasn't until a few weeks later that Attila's breeder contacted us to let us know they made the decision to put him down. Attila was suffering from sudden and progressive kidney problems which would only continue to worsen with time. He sadly was only a little over a year old, but we all finally understood his aggression was more than likely a result of the pain he was experiencing.
I knew that I didn't want another dog for a while, and for some, Attila's actions may have been enough to never want another dog as a pet again. It's been a little over 3 years now since we've had a dog, and while part of the wait was us simply moving on from Attila and his behavior, the other part was us wanting to take the time to devote to being parents (especially after learning of Kaelyn's CF news shortly after birth). We also wanted to give Kaelyn some time to grow up - this way she can experience the excitement of getting her first puppy! We can't wait to see the smile on her face and hear her laugh when she sees the puppies! We're looking forward to Simone bringing Kaelyn and our family much unconditional love and many memories over the years.
Our puppy is 5 weeks old currently, and will be able to come home any time after May 25th. The pups are being raised in Eastern PA out near the Philly area, so a little road trip to start off Memorial Day weekend is in the plans! We'll keep you posted with news and pics of our newest family member in the weeks to come! :)
April 2011 Braque Francais Puppy Litter
Growing Up...
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