Several months previous to buying the puppy, we had begun a family game...or "naming" game that is. Names were put into a hat (unfortunately they cannot be all remembered) and drawn but never were they selected as the one.
After debate after debate, we chose the name, "Lucy". The name seemed well suited to a German Shepherd Dog and easy to say. Runner-ups included "Regina" and "Esmeralda" but they lost out to the simpler name.
We were informed that the breeder's grandson had named the pup we chose (his favorite) "Lisa." Well, "Lucy" isn't a far cry from "Lisa", he should've been satisfied. On second thought, "Lisa Lucille" wouldn't have been bad. Oh well, too late now.
Lucy's nicknames are far and varied but include, "Lucey Goosey", "Honey" and "Honey Cheeks", and "Pookey". Less frequently used are, "Penny", "Esmeralda", and "Peggy."
Rumor has it that her full name is Lucille Esmeralda McGillicuddy Ricardo, but that hasn't been confirmed or denied ;).
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Our First Meet and Greet
The spontaneous motion of my family was out of place. My family is not exactly known for spur-of-the-moment decisions, but once certain decision changed that.
Sure, we had been scouting out the various dog breeds, comparing and contrasting, and checking with our needs. Over the course of a year, we had narrowed the list down to two breeds: the Samoyed and German Shepherd Dog. We began searching the classifieds for puppies for sale. We made calls, but none were acceptable.
Our search and decision was halted for two weeks during our family vacation. The Sunday morning after our late night return, we decided to gather the recent newspapers from a close relative. One ad in particular for German Shepherd puppies caught our eye.
We called the number and received further details and verified it to be a winner. Two days later, the family drove forty five minutes to the breeder's home to check the pups. We were greeted by a family of GSDs as well as their humans. Crated, the largest German Shepherd we had ever laid eyes on sat hunched and whimpering as it eyed our movements. Out on the porch, three female pups bounced around in a large pen. There was one who greeted us eagerly, tail wagging, tongue slapping wildly, and eyes full of excitement. Another pranced up, curious and tail wagging, but not nearly like her boisterous sister. The third of the sisters wandered shyly in the back and didn't dare approach us.
The shy one caught my eye, she seemed the most adorable of the troupe. The breeder's wife informed me that she was her favorite as well. Ah, a point in my favor!
Unfortunately, the rest of the family had taken to another pup. The one I had quickly judged as my least favorite was flaunting big brown eyes and a excitable tongue to my three family members. How erroneous they are in their judgement of character!, I thought to myself, My favorite is obviously playing hard to get because she is the superior one! And meanwhile, the bouncy Red Bull puppy was knocking her sister out of the way to get to the family, then she would run around in a circle and chase her tail. "Hyper" would have been a MAJOR understatement.
Barking and snarls snapped our attention away from the pint sized fur balls. A hulking mass of teeth and tan/black fur was swiftly making its way up onto the porch from the garage. A terrifying sight to say the least. At this point we realized that we had been left alone with the three pups. The breeders had quietly disappeared into their home. Was there a chance of escape? Thankfully the situation was taken over by the reappearing breeders. I would highly recommend them for a magic show.
The breeders proceeded to bring out the mother of the pups as they informed the the father was at being showed. The mother had a salt and pepper saddle and a very long body. She was like the limousine of dogs. The father was displayed in a picture and he was the girafe of dogs.
Well a decision hadn't been made, thanks one hundred percent to my opposite to the middle pup. We chose to think about it overnight, placing a claim upon the dogs.
I was persuaded eventually to settle for the middle pup. The one I abhorred (okay she was alright...but nothing special!)! We grabbed a a cardboard lid and a blanket and drove to pick her up.
Her looks had changed to me, she had risen on the adorable scale. Maybe it was because her sister wasn't present, but never mind that now. The deal was sealed only three days after we returned from our vacation! We had officially had a dog!
Note: As it turned out, the cardboard lid was far too small for the puppy. So she lay between my sister and I in the back of our Honda CR-V.
Sure, we had been scouting out the various dog breeds, comparing and contrasting, and checking with our needs. Over the course of a year, we had narrowed the list down to two breeds: the Samoyed and German Shepherd Dog. We began searching the classifieds for puppies for sale. We made calls, but none were acceptable.
Our search and decision was halted for two weeks during our family vacation. The Sunday morning after our late night return, we decided to gather the recent newspapers from a close relative. One ad in particular for German Shepherd puppies caught our eye.
We called the number and received further details and verified it to be a winner. Two days later, the family drove forty five minutes to the breeder's home to check the pups. We were greeted by a family of GSDs as well as their humans. Crated, the largest German Shepherd we had ever laid eyes on sat hunched and whimpering as it eyed our movements. Out on the porch, three female pups bounced around in a large pen. There was one who greeted us eagerly, tail wagging, tongue slapping wildly, and eyes full of excitement. Another pranced up, curious and tail wagging, but not nearly like her boisterous sister. The third of the sisters wandered shyly in the back and didn't dare approach us.
The shy one caught my eye, she seemed the most adorable of the troupe. The breeder's wife informed me that she was her favorite as well. Ah, a point in my favor!
Unfortunately, the rest of the family had taken to another pup. The one I had quickly judged as my least favorite was flaunting big brown eyes and a excitable tongue to my three family members. How erroneous they are in their judgement of character!, I thought to myself, My favorite is obviously playing hard to get because she is the superior one! And meanwhile, the bouncy Red Bull puppy was knocking her sister out of the way to get to the family, then she would run around in a circle and chase her tail. "Hyper" would have been a MAJOR understatement.
Barking and snarls snapped our attention away from the pint sized fur balls. A hulking mass of teeth and tan/black fur was swiftly making its way up onto the porch from the garage. A terrifying sight to say the least. At this point we realized that we had been left alone with the three pups. The breeders had quietly disappeared into their home. Was there a chance of escape? Thankfully the situation was taken over by the reappearing breeders. I would highly recommend them for a magic show.
The breeders proceeded to bring out the mother of the pups as they informed the the father was at being showed. The mother had a salt and pepper saddle and a very long body. She was like the limousine of dogs. The father was displayed in a picture and he was the girafe of dogs.
Well a decision hadn't been made, thanks one hundred percent to my opposite to the middle pup. We chose to think about it overnight, placing a claim upon the dogs.
I was persuaded eventually to settle for the middle pup. The one I abhorred (okay she was alright...but nothing special!)! We grabbed a a cardboard lid and a blanket and drove to pick her up.
Her looks had changed to me, she had risen on the adorable scale. Maybe it was because her sister wasn't present, but never mind that now. The deal was sealed only three days after we returned from our vacation! We had officially had a dog!
Note: As it turned out, the cardboard lid was far too small for the puppy. So she lay between my sister and I in the back of our Honda CR-V.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Life with Lucy
This blog is a medley of documentation of my beloved German Shepherd, Lucy. She was born on April 19, 2006 to a breeder and his lovely family. Three months later, she was brought into my home. The many situations of extremity and ridiculousness shall be well relayed to my audience. Now, at six years of age, she still lives up to her nickname, "Puppy" in actions and behavior, but despite her quirks and blunders, I can honestly and proudly say, "I Love Lucy".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)