So there you see the newest Hale family member: Mocha. She is a Newfoundland. Almost 3 months old, brown with a white spot on her chest. While on vacation this summer, we saw one and loved the breed. We had several family meetings about the loss of Jasmine, "replacing" her, and the inevitable future loss. Yesterday was one month since Jasmine died and it was very emotional. But we convinced Lucie (!) and did our research and shopping. The biggest problem was finding an affordable one. Most are champion bred and cost about $2000! I have no intention of showing her in dog shows. Finally we found Mocha for sale by an Amish/Mennonite (?) family about 3.5 hours away in Pennsylvania. So we loaded up the Hale family truckster and headed out. On the way out there, we looked at the picture we had of her and decided on the name of Mocha because of her coffee color with a splash of "whipped cream" on her chest. We really wanted to see where she was born and her parents and so forth. And it was worth it. She lived on a farm way out in the middle of nowhere with other Labs and Newfies. Her mom is all brown and weighs 120 lbs and her father is black and white and weighs 150 lbs! She was very social and fun... and dusty! So we hung out on the farm for a while and took her home. She slept most of the way home with no accidents. When we got home, we made the introductions to Britni the beagle (who wanted to play a lot!) and let her explore her new yard. Then I gave her a long bath (which she loved) and she came out of the tub a fluffy and clean puppy! We had a good evening and she did really well. Last night I put her in her crate in our bedroom but that caused a ruckus with Britni so I moved her down to the living room and I slept on the couch near her crate. We slept well all night and when Britni came down this morning, I opened the crate door and they both marched out to the yard and took care of business. She is pretty well behaved but I am not fooling myself - we have a long road ahead of us. She will stay crated during the day and between Lucie and I, we will give her all the potty breaks she needs. A new chapter in our life begins...
In other news, everything else is going OK. The kids did well on their mid-terms and are actually exploring employment opportunities. Elliott hit a buzzer beating, half court 3 point shot at half time of his game the other day. The crowd went nuts and they said it was the best shot in the league this season. His team lost but he scored 14 of the 29 points and did well.
5 comments:
congrats on the new pooch!
Well congratulations for now supporting the puppy mill industry oh which the Amish are great contributors. They raise dogs for a cash crop and you have just encourgaded them to continue. Do your homework next time and look up Amish/Puppy mills on Google. You could have gone to someone legititmate like a Newf Rescue group. Oh people like you frustate those of us in Rescue.
To "Anonymous": First, I did contact the New-Pen-Del Rescue and sent in an application. It was denied because we order our heartworm medication online for our beagle and our vet did not have a record of that. So the Rescue people assumed we don't have treat our dog. There was no questions asked - just an application denial. I then checked all local SPCA, Humane Society and other shelters for Newfoundlands but found none. All "reputable" breeders are selling champion bred Newfies for about $2000. We paid less than half for Mocha which makes me wonder who is really in the cash crop business. I don't need a champion show dog - I wanted a family pet. Next, I DID do my homework and checked the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (which oversees the kennels and breeders in PA) for any complaints against this breeder. None on file. We also drove the 3.5 hours to visit the farm where Mocha was born to see her parents, living conditions and socialization. All were outstanding. This was not a puppy mill. Thanks for asking before rushing to judgment.
You go Shaun. Some needs to put their name to any comments they feel so strongly about. If they would have known anything about you and your family, they would know you guys would have never done something like that. So, when can we meet her?
To one "anonymous" to another...that was pretty harsh. You made statements and judgements that you likely were not qualified to make. Shame on you. The Hale family was picking a family pet who they will love as they loved their Jasmine. Little Mocha is a fortunate little pup if you ask me. If Mocha comes from some little Amish puppy mill (as you call it), then aren't the Hales very good people to have saved that little pup from some tortorous life? Who are you to comment on which pet they should choose anyway? If you are really one of those people in "rescue", then you should be thanking them for saving Mocha. Learn how to make a convincing argument or step off of that soap box.
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