i have found a puppy and have sent a deposit but i am a little disappointed. i don't feel like i am a part of the puppy's life and i want to be. i also get the feeling i am going to have little to say about which dog i choose and i will resist that. i did get a contract in the mail but will not sign it until i am sure i am doing the right thing. i did call another breeder who will have pups by the end of this month. i will be in alaska and will make no decision before then.

DOGS

i am going to keep my blog named as Bobisms because that is a good metaphor for how i think and what i think about. i am now going to try to put something down as frequently as i can and cover all the subjects i am interested in.

i have loved dogs my entire life. i have had buster, cricket, rackets, clancey and tucker. these are the 5 dogs i will remember for as long as i live. i have had four cats magnum, little girl, cookie and fatboy. i told fatboy in my own way that after tucker and claney died i would keep the house animal free until fatboy passed on. he made it to 18 so i waited and then decided it was time to find another dog. i loved australian shepherds. they have a purpose, herding, and when they were involved in what they loved doing they were a picture of pure joy. i wanted to experience that again. i have a friend, janet colby, who is has two aussies and is a competitor in obedience and agility. i went to two of her shows and found agility to be real fun. so i thought i have time and not a great deal to do so why not buy a dog and get her into competition. i was introduced to a couple of trainers and breeders. the breeders i spoke to were rather flaky, in that they did not respond to e mail, phone calls or messages. i decided i would take the reins and find a dog on my own. i found a web site that included aussie breeders from all over the country. there were 85 in california so i wrote all of them and told them of my interest. i heard from about half of them and found those that responded to be enthusiastic and extremely helpful.

next blog i will tell you how it worked out, and it did.