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Pandemic Puppy Parables I

🐶 Newbie dog family here! After a lifetime of insisting that dogs, like swimming pools, are things to visit but not to own, a twist of fate (aka pandemic) created a situation in which a puppy became the only sufficiently inspirational homeschool bribe. Also, our four parakeets became unbearable and a puppy was part of their exit plan.

Now we’re committed, and even the adults around here are starting to really get into it, with only occasional moments of panic.

We did a TON of research on different dog breeds.  We went round and round, because the men in my family wanted a spunky dog that’s playful and active, and Lissa and I wanted a little fluffball lapdog that resembled a teddybear. For a while the Beaglier (beagle/Cavalier spaniel mix) was the front runner, but we quickly discovered that everyone had the same idea as us: “A pandemic is the perfect time to get a puppy!” It was hard to find a puppy anywhere, and we ran in to some scary puppy places online.

So we kept searching, and my sister mentioned an Aussie litter that was available. That set us up to look into Aussies, and Steven loved the breed. I was still stuck on my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel thing, so we Googled the mix and, lo and behold, the Aussalier!

This is a cross between a Mini Aussie and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. It’s a relatively new crossbreed that promises to be very friendly and lovable, easy to train, and not need two hours of walking a day. If we get lucky, it will also be able to catch a frisbee in case we want to throw one. Best of all, they’re adorable doggies, super smart, and very affectionate. We need a “winner” for our first dog, and with the right training from the beginning, we are hopeful this will be an amazing experience.

We found a wonderful breeder in Kansas who had two litters of Aussaliers due on my birthday. One of the litters was born on the exact day (a sign that we are MFEO), and the puppies are adorable. On Sunday we got to choose a sweet little boy puppy, tricolor, with a white face, paws, and tail. We get to meet him in early July!  So back to the story:

These are our puppy’s parents and grandparents! Dad is Carson, and Jessi (owner of Twin Spur Farms in Independence, Kansas) says he is a Blenheim Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, two years old and about 26 pounds. His dad is Jake (also a Twin Spur dog) and his mom is Gracie, who is owned by Jessi’s mom. Carson is “happiness unending,” in Jessi’s words, always looking like he’s laughing. “He has the goofiest floppy run toward you that makes you instantly happy. He never gets tired of being loved on and will pester you cutely until you can’t help but give in and love on him.”

Brooklyn, the mama, is a large mini Australian Shepherd, 17 inches tall and about 37 pounds. She is almost four and was also born at Twin Spur Farm on June 4 — MY MOM’S BIRTHDAY.  (So our puppy and I just have a lot in common, already.) “Brooklyn is the sweetest, most loving girl. She won’t take no for an answer when she is ready to snuggle. She may be bigger, but she is a tiny lapdog at heart. Her parents are Koda and Honor, two of the best dogs ever! Brooklyn comes from a long line of show champions on her dad’s side and a hard working family on her mom’s side. Mom’s side does agility and ranch work.” I thought it was pretty fun to get all this inside info on our puppy’s mom and dad!

In preparation for puppy picking, Steven made a drawing of what he thought our puppy would look like as part of his “Pandemic Storybook” that he turned in for school. “REAL” puppy pics in the next episode of Pandemic Puppy Parables!

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