Hi all! Long time no blog update!

Getting a puppy has been a long-time goal for my husband and I, over ten years now. We did not want to get one until we were truly ready.  There were a few things we wanted to "tick off the list" first.

• moving into a bigger place
• getting married
• me graduating and getting a stable job
• us being able to work from home more

Well, we have met all these goals and we are in full swing puppy prep. We have not yet found a reputable breeder that has a litter coming up soon AND doesn't live too outrageously far away. To be honest, I find this process infuriating. Maybe I am too "young" (heh) and modern to understand and have an appreciation for the way the breeder world is. Most breeders listed on kennel club sites do not have a website, or seem to exist on the web at all, aside from a single email address which tends to be an archaic aol or such domain. If they do have a website, it looks like it was made in 1998, which means it is barely legible and navigable. And it is lucky if these websites have been updated within the past 10 years. Then I check for other basic reputable info (do they show regularly? which health tests is part of the standard screenings? do they adhere to avidog, etc. methodology? etc.). And finally, are any litters upcoming. This is a seemingly impossible task for everything to line up. 

The hunt still continues.

In the meantime, we are slowly but surely collecting puppy essentials and puppy-proofing the home. Mr. Meep's big job is to get some of our heavier furniture wall mounted and to create a safe and efficient system for cleaning up all the cords around the home. My main job is somehow trying to make more room in closets and cabinets to shove all the new puppy stuff that will be coming in (considering our "bigger place" is still a cozy condo perfect for two), while not allowing it to be too claustrophobic and maybe even make it a little aesthetically pleasing. 

We've already chosen a name: Ember. Truthfully, it was the sole name we could both agree liking over the course of several discussions and a few years. 🤣 We want a male Sheltie. Ideally, we would have also loved to have a female German Shepherd. However, these damn ever changing HOA rules have now put weight limits on what dogs we can have and how many dogs at all. We are now limited to a single dog under 60 lbs. *sigh* 

I solemnly swear to continue updating on our puppy progress and to provide pictures when we have a puppy in hand, for those of you who appreciate such a dopamine boost.