Hi Everyone!
I am so excited that I found this site! I have barely scratched the surface of all the great information within.
Here is a little bit about me and my family...
We are a family of 5 living in a small town just outside of Portland, Oregon. In 2000 (when our kids were 4,6 and 8) we got our first puppy. (My first dog ever!) She was a Black Lab/Golden Retriever mix and her name was DJ.
I always thought that we would have a dog while our kids were growing up, and then when she was gone and the kids were grown, we would be empty-nesters with no more pets.
Well... We lost DJ a year ago at Thanksgiving, she was 11 1/2.
She was a fantastic dog and I loved her, but I never really considered myself a "pet person". I thought I was done...
Fast forward 6 months and I am reconsidering. We went and looked at our first litter of Goldens in June, but decided we weren't quite ready.
Since then, my oldest child (who has been out of the house for a few years now) turned 21, my daughter turned 18, graduated high school and left for college, and my youngest is a Junior in high school who will be 17 in a few weeks.
My nest is rapidly becoming emptier!!!
As Christmas began to draw near, I started looking at local breeders online again. I couldn't seem to shake the desire. And I wondered... Since I don't have small children anymore, will I have more time and energy to devote to a puppy? Will I appreciate a dog more now??
Having been a stay-home mom, I now have a lot of free time and I'm also home alone a lot. Would a new puppy be the next adventure that I could focus my time and energy on? Would he be my new best friend?
Turns out the answer is YES!!
Meet Riggins!! (Or Riggs, for short)
(If you've ever watched the TV series Friday Night Lights, you'll understand the name. )
He was born to a local breeder on November 6, 2012. And we brought him home at just under 8 weeks on December 29th. He will be 13 weeks on Tuesday. He is a joy, and a delight, and a handfull! And despite all my doubts and second-guessing, I have not had one moment of regret since bringing him home.
He is SO smart and is learning SO fast!! He has not had an accident in the house in probably 2 weeks. (oops... edit... turns out there was one found in the basement today. But on a rubber mat, so I won't complain!) He is sleeping through the night in his crate (usually from about 11 to 6:30), then he lets me go back to sleep on the couch for a while while he naps or plays next to me. (I like my sleep! LOL)
He loves to steal small soft items like socks, slippers, gloves or underwear! But he is learning to "drop it" when I tell him to. He loves to sleep on the cold, tile window ledge near the living room floor. He likes to find small "treasures" in the back yard and bring them to the door. He is not crazy about walking on a leash, but is getting better... as long as he can hold it in his mouth. When he is tired, he climbs into his soft bed in the living room and sucks on one of the corners like he is nursing. It is so sweet!
We have started some basic clicker-training and he has learned Sit, and Lay Down, Drop it, Leave it, and "Get out of the kitchen". LOL Of course we are still working on these and it's not consistant yet. But if he see's the treat baggie and the clicker, he is ALL business!
Thank you for letting me brag about my new boy! I look forward to "meeting" all of you and gleaning tons of support and wisdom.
Now for the pictures...
I am so excited that I found this site! I have barely scratched the surface of all the great information within.
Here is a little bit about me and my family...
We are a family of 5 living in a small town just outside of Portland, Oregon. In 2000 (when our kids were 4,6 and 8) we got our first puppy. (My first dog ever!) She was a Black Lab/Golden Retriever mix and her name was DJ.
I always thought that we would have a dog while our kids were growing up, and then when she was gone and the kids were grown, we would be empty-nesters with no more pets.
Well... We lost DJ a year ago at Thanksgiving, she was 11 1/2.
She was a fantastic dog and I loved her, but I never really considered myself a "pet person". I thought I was done...
Fast forward 6 months and I am reconsidering. We went and looked at our first litter of Goldens in June, but decided we weren't quite ready.
Since then, my oldest child (who has been out of the house for a few years now) turned 21, my daughter turned 18, graduated high school and left for college, and my youngest is a Junior in high school who will be 17 in a few weeks.
My nest is rapidly becoming emptier!!!
As Christmas began to draw near, I started looking at local breeders online again. I couldn't seem to shake the desire. And I wondered... Since I don't have small children anymore, will I have more time and energy to devote to a puppy? Will I appreciate a dog more now??
Having been a stay-home mom, I now have a lot of free time and I'm also home alone a lot. Would a new puppy be the next adventure that I could focus my time and energy on? Would he be my new best friend?
Turns out the answer is YES!!
Meet Riggins!! (Or Riggs, for short)
(If you've ever watched the TV series Friday Night Lights, you'll understand the name. )
He was born to a local breeder on November 6, 2012. And we brought him home at just under 8 weeks on December 29th. He will be 13 weeks on Tuesday. He is a joy, and a delight, and a handfull! And despite all my doubts and second-guessing, I have not had one moment of regret since bringing him home.
He is SO smart and is learning SO fast!! He has not had an accident in the house in probably 2 weeks. (oops... edit... turns out there was one found in the basement today. But on a rubber mat, so I won't complain!) He is sleeping through the night in his crate (usually from about 11 to 6:30), then he lets me go back to sleep on the couch for a while while he naps or plays next to me. (I like my sleep! LOL)
He loves to steal small soft items like socks, slippers, gloves or underwear! But he is learning to "drop it" when I tell him to. He loves to sleep on the cold, tile window ledge near the living room floor. He likes to find small "treasures" in the back yard and bring them to the door. He is not crazy about walking on a leash, but is getting better... as long as he can hold it in his mouth. When he is tired, he climbs into his soft bed in the living room and sucks on one of the corners like he is nursing. It is so sweet!
We have started some basic clicker-training and he has learned Sit, and Lay Down, Drop it, Leave it, and "Get out of the kitchen". LOL Of course we are still working on these and it's not consistant yet. But if he see's the treat baggie and the clicker, he is ALL business!
Thank you for letting me brag about my new boy! I look forward to "meeting" all of you and gleaning tons of support and wisdom.
Now for the pictures...