Come Inside My Head, if You Dare…
Could you guess?
Don’t feel bad,
even we don’t know!
Our Ziva, yep – that’s her name, is one of these 3 girls. Aren’t they gorgeous? The breeder will be choosing today and our puppy will be “left-overs”.
Believe me when I say that is a relief! To have to choose would be so difficult. This way, fate will make the choice and we don’t have to. 🙂
J
It’s not like I didn’t know better, because I have raised a Bernese Mountain Dog from a puppy before. The good, the bad, the irritating, annoying gambit of living with a dog, especially the baby ones.
And yet – hubby and I put a deposit down, on a little female, who lives a 5-hour drive away, that we haven’t even met yet. The breeder keeps forgetting to email us a photo, so we don’t know what she looks like either. Even more ridiculous than that, I don’t know how much it costs to adopt her. Because I am afraid to ask.
No, I am not attempting humor. This is the truth. Before you think I have completely lost it, in my defense, I have spoken at length with Barbara and she knows her stuff, and she knows a very reputable breeder in Grass Valley. In fact, she began her lineage with dogs from Bobbie, who we met, along with her gorgeous Bernese Mountain Dogs.
You pay $1,500 to $3,000, because Bernese puppies are in high demand. You understand there will be the cost of feeding, and housing them. You know that Vet bills for vaccinations, spaying, check-ups, etc. are a regular expense. Don’t forget, you must enroll them into Obedience School. I haven’t crunched the exact numbers, but I believe that having a dog is more expensive than having a child.
So, why do it? Stay tuned and you will learn something about Bernese and dogs in general. Then you should be able to answer the question yourself.
J
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photo credit: northdevonfarmer via photopin cc
Two female Bernese Mountain Dogs were bred in Grass Valley at 
Swiss Star Farms. I know this because I call the breeder, Bobbie Hefner, at least once a month:
“Hello?” Bobbie answers.
“Is anybody pregnant yet?” I am so desperate now, that I have dropped all small talk. I know it’s rude, but I just can’t stand this unknowingness! **
“Both girls have been bred, but it’s too soon to know if they are pregnant, or not.” she tells me.
NOT!? That possibility hadn’t occurred to me. I shoved it out of my mind to consider (and worry about) later.
“Oh…” I no longer mask my disappointment.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything,” she tries to console me, but it doesn’t help. My mental state is swiftly devolving around this issue, and I feel 3-years old. I have to consciously force myself to not stomp my foot and scream, “Where is my puppy!?”
When I get off the phone, I pout. I waited over 2-years for a puppy because we were packing, selling our old house & moving into our new house. Then I had to wait until we went on an Alaskan Cruise. Hubby has no more excuses now, and it has been over 4-years since I have had a dog. FOUR YEARS! Patience is no longer a virtue – it’s GONE.
Then, I remember that I am home alone. Hubby is out doing his thing. By the time he gets home, I am still dog-less, and my foot hurts.
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** unknowingness [un . NO . ing . ness], adverb. “The agonizing period while you are waiting to know something, and you have no control over finding the answer.
– From the Dictionary of Words That Should Exist
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