Just a few pictures of the happy families taking home their new puppy!!! Scroll down to see lots of happy puppy owner pictures!
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THE ROAD TO BREADEN.
I know I'm only 5 days in, but I am officially in love with my baby girl, Breaden from Hessler's Poodles and have Shirley Jean Hessler to thank! I've wanted a dog for over 15-years but with four little boys and a busy career that required me to travel a lot, the timing just wasn't right even though I really wanted my boys to grow up with a dog. Thanks to my awesome wife, that dream is now a reality!
Choosing a Standard Poodle from Shirley wasn't an impulse decision. I've been researching the breed of dog that would be good fit for my family for over a decade. Even though I wanted something different than the the toy poodle I grew up with; the poodle kept coming up as the #1 recommended breed for us. I wanted a dog that didn't shed much, didn't drool, kid-friendly, highly intelligent, and didn't mind exercise (part of my plan to get off the couch more). Selecting any other breed, no matter how cute or popular (my heart was set on a Pug or Old English Bulldog) would have been a mistake. Similar to a car purchase, now that I decided on the make all I had to do is pick a color and which size model I wanted (toy, miniature or standard).
Once I decided on the Standard Poodle I had to find a breeder than bred a quality Standard that wasn't too big (Some can reach over 100 lbs.) and believe me, there are tons of breeders out there. You have to be careful, ask a lot of questions and go with your gut. What I found out through talking and/or emailing 13 different breeders is a quality breeder doesn't mind a lot of questions and will ask you a lot of questions as well because they won't place their dogs with just anyone. Relatively speaking, I felt like Shirley was just as thorough with her screening process as our adoption agency was with our children!
Four boys is plenty so knew I wanted a girl. After choosing Shirley I learned she was only an hour away from my wellness retreat and she encouraged me to visit the dogs in her home so I could meet the puppies' parents and spend some time with both of the girls she had available. I went to visit Breaden and her cream-colored sister, Bella in TN on my home from the retreat and instantly fell in love with Breaden. I made plans to pick her up after she turned 8-weeks old.
While at Boy Scout summer camp last week, I realized that I was again only an hour away from Shirley and picked up Breaden on the way home. It was all so effortless and the timing couldn't have been better. What are the chances I would be 2-hours from Charlotte twice in two weeks at the exact time she was old enough to come home? It was Serendipitous!
Not only is Shirley a quality breeder but Breaden and her litter mates were litter boxed trained! Shirley uses alfalfa pellets as the "kitty litter" and we've sprinkled them outside where we want her to relieve herself. We keep the litter box inside to help avoid any accidents until she doesn't need it any more. She's only had two accidents - talk about about easy potty training!
Serendipity is defined as, "1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. 2. good fortune; luck."
Breaden's AKC registered name will be "Hessler's Breaden Lee Serendipity". A meaningful name that identifies her breeder, a joyful childhood place, my middle name, and the notion that life is full of serendipity for those of us who look for it!
I know I'm only 5 days in, but I am officially in love with my baby girl, Breaden from Hessler's Poodles and have Shirley Jean Hessler to thank! I've wanted a dog for over 15-years but with four little boys and a busy career that required me to travel a lot, the timing just wasn't right even though I really wanted my boys to grow up with a dog. Thanks to my awesome wife, that dream is now a reality!
Choosing a Standard Poodle from Shirley wasn't an impulse decision. I've been researching the breed of dog that would be good fit for my family for over a decade. Even though I wanted something different than the the toy poodle I grew up with; the poodle kept coming up as the #1 recommended breed for us. I wanted a dog that didn't shed much, didn't drool, kid-friendly, highly intelligent, and didn't mind exercise (part of my plan to get off the couch more). Selecting any other breed, no matter how cute or popular (my heart was set on a Pug or Old English Bulldog) would have been a mistake. Similar to a car purchase, now that I decided on the make all I had to do is pick a color and which size model I wanted (toy, miniature or standard).
Once I decided on the Standard Poodle I had to find a breeder than bred a quality Standard that wasn't too big (Some can reach over 100 lbs.) and believe me, there are tons of breeders out there. You have to be careful, ask a lot of questions and go with your gut. What I found out through talking and/or emailing 13 different breeders is a quality breeder doesn't mind a lot of questions and will ask you a lot of questions as well because they won't place their dogs with just anyone. Relatively speaking, I felt like Shirley was just as thorough with her screening process as our adoption agency was with our children!
Four boys is plenty so knew I wanted a girl. After choosing Shirley I learned she was only an hour away from my wellness retreat and she encouraged me to visit the dogs in her home so I could meet the puppies' parents and spend some time with both of the girls she had available. I went to visit Breaden and her cream-colored sister, Bella in TN on my home from the retreat and instantly fell in love with Breaden. I made plans to pick her up after she turned 8-weeks old.
While at Boy Scout summer camp last week, I realized that I was again only an hour away from Shirley and picked up Breaden on the way home. It was all so effortless and the timing couldn't have been better. What are the chances I would be 2-hours from Charlotte twice in two weeks at the exact time she was old enough to come home? It was Serendipitous!
Not only is Shirley a quality breeder but Breaden and her litter mates were litter boxed trained! Shirley uses alfalfa pellets as the "kitty litter" and we've sprinkled them outside where we want her to relieve herself. We keep the litter box inside to help avoid any accidents until she doesn't need it any more. She's only had two accidents - talk about about easy potty training!
Serendipity is defined as, "1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident. 2. good fortune; luck."
Breaden's AKC registered name will be "Hessler's Breaden Lee Serendipity". A meaningful name that identifies her breeder, a joyful childhood place, my middle name, and the notion that life is full of serendipity for those of us who look for it!