It's right about the 7 month mark since Dad passed away, and well over a year since Ciku. I've been searching for another dog for a while, visiting numerous New England shelters and browsing
PetFinder. Waiting for the "right time", the "right dog". Finally during a short vacation I figured now is a good time as any other, and after losing 2 family members and another half-way there this year (hang in there Coco!), I thought it be good to shift from the gloom and get a pup.
Ciku came from the shelter pretty much a perfectly mild-mannered 2 year old - housebroken, heeded basic commands, and very gentle. She was funny, cute, and truly empathetic. I tried convincing myself every dog I will ever get in the future will be a disappointment. But dang it I had to change that if I ever wanted another pet. Why I chose to go with a puppy I don't really know. I understand they are a heck of a lot of work whereas a grown dog would at least be house-trained. Maybe it's due to wanting my Mom to have something to take care of, taking her mind off the stresses of the business and not having Dad.
Enter Momo Takahashi. Formerly known as Ginger, this Miniature Australian Shepherd renamed the Japanese version of "Peaches", hails from
Dakota Toy Aussies and the breeder Jodi, a wonderful woman passionate about raising quality Aussies in her South Dakota home. I inquired about a couple of available dogs and she told me about Ginger, who I felt "this is it". Some may argue that I should've gotten a rescue. But I support responsible breeding too, and at this time chose to go with a that route, which is still so much better than pet shop animals and puppy mill dogs.
Momo's been with my family two full days now. First, she was so shy and scared, trembling non-stop. Saturday she was more curious, socializing with artists and their fans at
MICE Expo 2015 in Porter Square (More on that in another post!), and today she was so playful, running around us like crazy and seemingly inexhaustible prancing in the leave piles of New Hampshire...and then when you pick her up she falls asleep almost instantly. Oh..my goodness. And so funny the way she seems to jump around like a little fawn. I was already not crazy about wanting human babies. Sorry Mom, this is really making me want to dedicate my life into being surrounded by just animals.
Went crazy preparing for her arrival - shopping for bully sticks and grain-free dog food, watching Cesar Millan videos, google imaging "mini aussie puppies" and aww-ing at its results multiple times a day...generally thinking "puppies, puppies, puppies" 24 hours a day. But when she arrived in that little crate at the United cargo facility, I forgot everything and just wanted to cuddle her forever.
Ok, this post isn't making any point or much sense, especially because my brain power is functioning at half power from lack of quality sleep. Originally was going to make a series of posts on preparing for a puppy and chronicling her growing up and training since I couldn't find much resources on people's experiences, but it was driven by my obsessive and excited pre-puppy delivery energy which I've lost since getting my heart melted into mush Friday night. Would still like to write next about my experience on searching for and getting a breeder puppy, as a reference to those thinking about getting one in the future, but for now, look at these photos of Momo from our trip to NH and say AWWWW!
Photos by Mike Lee
