Choosing A Breed

When my Australian Shepherd - Molly - died in November 2006, I knew I wouldn't be ready for another dog for quite some time. However, about two weeks after she was gone I started missing her even more and started to think about "someday when I get another dog...". I loved "the Molly dog" dearly and she taught me so much about life. Molly was the first dog I owned as an adult and I'd waited more than 10 years from the time I graduated from college to be able to live in a place where I could have a dog. After she died, I was pretty sure my next dog couldn't be an Aussie because I'd compare it to Molly. So...I started to think about what breed of dog I would consider.

I'd grown up with Cocker Spaniels and really liked the ones we had...but I knew it would be difficult to find one with the outstanding temperaments of the ones I'd grown up with. It seems so many Cockers today are either fear-biters or submissive wetters. Before I got Molly I'd submitted an application to adopt from Shorewood Cocker Rescue (http://www.cockerrescue.net/) so thought I could at least check there. I also thought about a Brittany. Before I got Molly, I'd also submitted an application to American Brittany Rescue (http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org/). I occasionally started checking the two websites above to see if there were any dogs that "fit my bill".

Then, in April, 2007, my life changed as I packed my belongings and left Brainerd (MN) for a new job in Des Moines (IA). I purchased a small townhouse which allowed dogs...but had a weight limit (restriction) which was/is dogs 20 pounds and under. The selling realtor representing the builder's new development kept telling me it really didn't matter how much my dog weighed as long as it didn't cause problems with the neighbors and I thought "great salesman but honestly - a rule is a rule". With the new "weight rule" in my life, I knew an Aussie was out for sure (and the Newfoundland I still hope to own someday, too).

By early May, 2007, I was feeling a little more settled and started to seriously search for a dog. I submitted an application to Shorewood Cocker Rescue and American Brittany Rescue. I also contacted the MN rescue reps listed for Cocker rescue on the American Spaniel Club website. I e-mailed and called on three Brittanys with American Brittany Rescue...and found they ALL had separation anxiety which would totally not work in a townhouse situation. I share common walls with two other homes. Then I received an e-mail from a woman in MN who was connected with rescue on behalf of the American Spaniel Club. She'd been contacted by a woman who was in the process of rescuing a black Cocker from a home situation that was becoming violent and was looking for a potential adopter. She put me in touch with the woman named Peg.

Peg and I corresponded over the course of a week or two and Peg decided I would provide a good home for Tanner. On a Saturday in mid-May, I met Peg and her husband at the McDonalds in Cannon Falls (MN) so that I could adopt Tanner. He was a sweet dog and spent the rest of the weekend with me at my parents' farm in SE Minnesota. On Sunday night I returned home and Tanner & I took a long walk through my neighborhood. He was a little skiddish around new things like road construction signs but I knew we could work on those things.

What I wasn't prepared for was his behavior on Monday morning. After our morning walk, feeding him, and getting ready myself, I was going to put him in his crate so I could leave for the day. He put on his brakes as we neared the crate and I had to drag him the rest of the way...and then shove him in the crate. He started barking and whining and I knew I was in trouble. I tried to calm him - left the room briefly and return so he knew I was coming back. I had to get to work so I left him with a Nylabone in his crate and hoped for the best. I quickly discovered that Tanner had severe separation anxiety. When I came home for lunch he was soaked from his own saliva. The situation became worse instead of better and by mid-week I knew I wouldn't be able to keep him. That Friday night - with a heavy heart - I met Peg & her husband in Lakeville (MN) to return Tanner to them. They decided to keep him and I've heard from Peg that he is doing well with them!

In late June, 2007, I contacted Aussie Rescue of MN because there was a smaller Aussie posted on their website that I thought maybe would work for me. On the way to visit family in northern MN for the 4th of July holiday, I stopped in Elk River (MN) to meet the Aussie named Minnie Mouse. She was such a sweet, sweet dog and the foster mom was willing to let me take Minnie home with me that day because Minnie just warmed right up to me...but I thought about my little townhouse with limited "green space" and knew it wouldn't be fair to Minnie to live in such a small space. Even as I write this, the sweetness of Minnie's temperament tugs at my heart. I hope I can own another Aussie someday. They are smart and sweet dogs!!

After my experience with Tanner and then meeting Minnie, I knew I needed to find a small dog who was smart! That's when I started focusing on finding a Brittany who could live in a townhouse.