The Great Puppy Search of ’08-’09 ~ Puppy Longing

I am anxiously awaiting our early May move to a new house for a variety of reasons, the strongest being my desire to get a puppy. We haven’t started looking yet, but I have several wishes for the new location ~ it must allow pets, and it should have a bathtub (our house now does have one but it’s in our roommates’ bathroom and I SO miss taking baths), a garage to store Nate’s DJ equipment, a non-gravel driveway (too many pairs of my heels have been ruined by the gravel in our driveway and I’m tired of it!), and a fenced yard. I would also love a walk-in closet, but really, what girl wouldn’t?

Because we haven’t found a place yet (which isn’t too surprising as we haven’t begun our search!), I haven’t spent a lot of time looking for Papillon breeders in our area. I have decided that it’s probably best to wait until we know where we will be living (from what I’ve read, breeders sometimes want to see what your home looks like and talk to your landlord if you rent), but that hasn’t stopped my excitement about our future pup. I’ve even picked out a name for her ~ Daisy ~ and mention to my dear boyfriend almost daily how anxious I am to bring her home (I think he may think I’m a little nuts). I’ve never been a patient person, and this wait is killing me! My yearning to have a little creature who needs me to care for it is so strong, and quite possibly stems from the fact that I am at the age when my hormones are telling me it’s time to be a mommy ~ a puppy will be a nice stand-in until we’re ready to have kids.

But while I’ve most certainly decided that a Papillon fits what I’m looking for in a dog, I’m also struggling with a moral dilemma ~ is it okay to want a purebred pup from a breeder when there are so many puppies and dogs in shelters waiting to find their forever homes? Just this past week, there have been two puppy mills raided in our area ~ 150 dogs were rescued from one and 170 from the other. These poor little animals have been living in horrible conditions, many confined in small crates that have never been cleaned with multiple other dogs. Animal rescue workers have said they’ve never seen such atrocities. Should I try for one of these dogs instead of my perfect Papi pup? The money I’ve been saving for her could instead be donated to one of the shelters that is now overflowing with dogs rescued this week. It’s hard to know what to do ~ I was so certain that a Papillon was the breed for me, but my heart breaks at the sight of the pictures on the news of all those dogs that have been born and raised in filth, and have never known love.

Questioning my puppy decision,
Heather