"This is the first time in my entire life that I have not had a dog." ~ Melanie
Remi has been an only dog for seven years, since Lucy passed away in February 2012. We have talked about getting another dog off and on over the years, but I for one, enjoyed only having one dog. It made it easier to bring him along camping, or to find a pet sitter for, or to take for a ride to the store. One is easy. The down side to this is that Remi would be home alone during the days, and when we left for an overnighter, he was home alone again.
Melanie and I have had conversations about this for years now. Until recently, Remi could handle a night at home by himself, but he seemed to have a little separation anxiety happening more recently, judging from the neighbors reports of him barking all night, not his normal "there is a cat in the yard bark" but his mournful, "I'm all alone" bark. It got us thinking about getting him dog to keep him company and debated whether or not he would like sharing his home with another dog. Needless to say, Remi passed away last month, within a few days of us returning from our most recent trip and a few days before we departed for another. While we are still mourning his loss, Melanie and I both agree that it was better that he passed while we were home and not while we were away. Two weeks later and I am still checking to see if he is laying at my feet when I awake at night.
After Remi passed. Melanie kept reiterating the fact that it was indeed the first time in her life that she was without at least one dog. She also made it very clear that she was going to be the one that would pick out our next dog. Initially, I wanted to take some time off from having another dog to contend with, but Melanie made a very valid argument about the fact that I am traveling a lot and she would be more comfortable with a dog here to warn off would be trespassers. Melanie also made the point that the kind of dog she would want if she had her choice ( and considering that I was adamant about hair dogs vs fur dogs ~ think allergies) was a Maltipoo or a... honestly I can't remember what the other one was because a Maltipoo is my kind of dog and that's all I needed to hear. 😃
So began the search.
Initially I thought about waiting until Melanies birthday in October to find a Maltipoo. but then I started to realize that we are headed into fall, and then winter. It would be so much easier to potty train a dog this time of year than during our rainy season. Also realizing that Melanie was headed on a road trip in a few days, I thought it would be a great bonding time for a new dog and allow her to work on potty training. Note: I did do my due diligence and checked shelters and rescues for Matlipoo's and similar breeds and was unable to find a dog within our region that would work with our family dynamics. (Skittish. Does not like children. Needs to be in a single pet home. etc.)
I then began to look at ads for Maltipoo's and after a few phone calls and email conversations, I discovered how many shady and dishonest people are out there. While I desperately tried to find a white, beige, or white and beige Maltipoo to add a new color pallet to our four-legged family, the unsavory people eliminated those choices for me. I kept coming back to an add in a dog publication for some black and white Maltipoo puppies. I finally shared the ad with Melanie and she was in love. I reached out to the owner and found him to be the first normal person that I had dealt with in my puppy search. He was located in San Jose and I just happened to be passing through the following day. We agreed to meet and I let Melanie know what time so she could answer my FaceTime call and pick a puppy...What a horribly bad idea that was. All that I can recall from that meeting was, "I can't decide," "If you love me, you'll get both for me," "They will keep each other company," and then driving away in a stupor with two puppies, and me being the only one of the 3 people involved in the transaction that didn't leave there completely satisfied. Now I remember why I didn't let Melanie be involved with the selection of the last puppy. 😉
Meet Ace and Zohra. Orion picked the name Ace for the boy and Apollo picked Zohra for the girl. Yes, we are crazy for getting two puppies, and Yes, they are the cutest dogs ever, and NO, You can't have one, so quit asking!! 😂
I think Remi would approve of these two little rascals but I also believe that he is happy to not have to share his home with them.
Welcome to the Zoo Ace and Zohra!
After Remi passed. Melanie kept reiterating the fact that it was indeed the first time in her life that she was without at least one dog. She also made it very clear that she was going to be the one that would pick out our next dog. Initially, I wanted to take some time off from having another dog to contend with, but Melanie made a very valid argument about the fact that I am traveling a lot and she would be more comfortable with a dog here to warn off would be trespassers. Melanie also made the point that the kind of dog she would want if she had her choice ( and considering that I was adamant about hair dogs vs fur dogs ~ think allergies) was a Maltipoo or a... honestly I can't remember what the other one was because a Maltipoo is my kind of dog and that's all I needed to hear. 😃So began the search.
Initially I thought about waiting until Melanies birthday in October to find a Maltipoo. but then I started to realize that we are headed into fall, and then winter. It would be so much easier to potty train a dog this time of year than during our rainy season. Also realizing that Melanie was headed on a road trip in a few days, I thought it would be a great bonding time for a new dog and allow her to work on potty training. Note: I did do my due diligence and checked shelters and rescues for Matlipoo's and similar breeds and was unable to find a dog within our region that would work with our family dynamics. (Skittish. Does not like children. Needs to be in a single pet home. etc.)
I then began to look at ads for Maltipoo's and after a few phone calls and email conversations, I discovered how many shady and dishonest people are out there. While I desperately tried to find a white, beige, or white and beige Maltipoo to add a new color pallet to our four-legged family, the unsavory people eliminated those choices for me. I kept coming back to an add in a dog publication for some black and white Maltipoo puppies. I finally shared the ad with Melanie and she was in love. I reached out to the owner and found him to be the first normal person that I had dealt with in my puppy search. He was located in San Jose and I just happened to be passing through the following day. We agreed to meet and I let Melanie know what time so she could answer my FaceTime call and pick a puppy...What a horribly bad idea that was. All that I can recall from that meeting was, "I can't decide," "If you love me, you'll get both for me," "They will keep each other company," and then driving away in a stupor with two puppies, and me being the only one of the 3 people involved in the transaction that didn't leave there completely satisfied. Now I remember why I didn't let Melanie be involved with the selection of the last puppy. 😉
Meet Ace and Zohra. Orion picked the name Ace for the boy and Apollo picked Zohra for the girl. Yes, we are crazy for getting two puppies, and Yes, they are the cutest dogs ever, and NO, You can't have one, so quit asking!! 😂
Welcome to the Zoo Ace and Zohra!
