Lets Go Back To The Begining

[Dust Angel]

There are quite a few threads at the moment in regards to the end of a partnership and whilst its important to discuss i thought we might have a thread about the first time you met your dog. There have been many dogs in my life but they have always chosen me. Id like to relieve all those moments but ill stick with my two current pooches!

I met Sienna when i was not even looking for a dog, my best friend at the time heard about some puppies for sale and was looking for a dog, she wanted me to come with her to pick one out. I never knock back a chance to squdge puppies and inhale that delightful puppy breath so went along with her.

German Shorthaired Pointers were a breed i had never heard of before and i could not believe the divine cuteness of these puppies. They were everywhere, a litter of 14 GSP = CHAOS! Out of the black and white flood one little liver and white bundle of heaven waddled over to me and sat down on my feet. She looked up at me and into my soul - i could just about hear her say "im coming home with you" she sat there for a moment longer and went trotting off to sit in her dinner bowl and watch me.

It took a lot of arguing but finally i got the all clear from the home front withdrew the money and went back to get her. As soon as she saw me she came running over and sat on my toes again. I took her home and from that day on she has been my heart dog, she didn't once cry for her litter mates or her mum.

Flutey was the result of many years of education, the desire to show (need to pull my finger out on that one ) and milestone birthday. I met her over in Tasmania had her placed in my arms and told that if i wanted her i could have her .... damn cruel that - who could say no to the irresistible charms of a GSP puppy. Thus four weeks later The Tassie Devil flew away from her homeland and came screaming up the runway and into our hearts.

So lets relieve those first moments and share with us how you met your current K-9!

[Esky the husky]

Esky was the 2nd husky I'd always longed for. We had her name picked out for her long before we even thought of purchasing her.

I was doing all the right things, holding out waiting until it was the right time to add a second dog to our pack. I was in the process of contacting breeders when disaster struck. A terrible road accident left us without our Didge. I couldn't bear to be without a dog, so when Esky's breeder said she was happy to let me have one of her pups, I bought her sight unseen.

Esky is the most beautiful dog I've ever seen. And she has really pup me through my paces as an owner. I've had so much quality time with her. I've been unemployed, (or barely employed) since we first got her, so every day with her is amazing

[Zug Zug]

I have a few stories about falling in love at the pound. The first time a mini poodle who just decided I was hers the moment she laid eyes on me. I got her out of the cage and she hopped on my lap on the grass and went straight to sleep. We were inseparable from that moment on. The perfect dog - she died too young after being hit by a car 3 years later. It just broke my heart.

My little bichon - well he was the last in the litter and we are still joined at the heart. He nearly died in the first week I had him from corona virus. I was up all night getting fluids into him, and back and forth to the vet for weeks. All worth it - he's just a gorgeous gentle thing. I told him he had to survive his illness and give me at least 10 years. He's 12 years old now and still going. He may be an old boy now but he is never allowed to die.

A few years later and I was at the pound 'just looking' and saw a poodle x looking sad. Then I was in her cage 'just looking' and then I was arguing with my OH until I could take her home 24 hours later. She's still with us. She was insane (no perfect dog here I'm afraid!) but is absolutely unforgettable and is now using her excessive energy to win obedience trophies. You would never have thought it possible in those early days.

[Daisys Mum]

The first time i set eyes on sasha was at a shelter here in Adelaide.... i wanted a companion for Kira my flatmates Husky

She just melted my heart and even today she looks at me with her eyes and im gone i call it the jedi mind trick

I cant find the photos of when she first came home but she was skin and bones

But as you can see she is full of life and healthy

[Cosmolo]

Ooohhh- great thread!

We met Dexter man at the shelter (he was named Magpie) where we were temp testing. It was only about 2 months after we lost our old boy Otto. I saw him in a play yard and although we don't normally have time to test puppies, i wrote him down on the list for some reason. We got him out to test and i was going goo and gah while OH was handling him. We see lots of amazing dogs but this one was different.

OH and i had said when we got our next dog (which was not going to be until AT LEAST 1 year later) that if it were a boy we'd call him Dexter. So while i am trying to hold back how i feel about "Magpie" OH says to me- if he were my puppy, i'd call him Dexter.

And at that point i burst into tears, leaving my poor OH very confused as to why.. I still don't really know why! There was just something about him. So we adopted him and brought him home and he is my very special bear- i don't know what it was but something in me tweaked when i met him and we have been inseperable ever since.

Dexter as a puppy-

Dexter at Christmas-

[Dust Angel]

Heartwarming stories guys!

Its amazing how sometimes its just meant to be isnt it. Lunar came to us in a similar fashion we found her entirely by accident, a friend of ours mistook Sienna for her and asked how we had got the rental house dog . We asked what they meant and they told us about the dog that was living in a bird cage in the backyard of the rental property they had looked at. Apparently it was supposed to be part of the package that whoever rented the property needed to feed the dog as well. We rushed around there and sure enough was the skinniest GSP with cuts all over her from trying to dig out of the wire, living in a bird cage. No bed (just frozen mud) snow in the back of the cage and no clean water or food.

Mum harassed her owner for a week until he relented and let us take her home and the local pound man harassed him until he legally signed her over to us. She has lots of issues still (she lived there for five years since puppy hood)but we love her special little heart. If it wasn't for Sienna we would never have known about her existence.

Funnily enough if it wasnt for Lunar and someone hearing how we took her in we would never have found Rueban who was so afraid of life he was too scared to eat and was two days away from being shot. After we had him desexed and began looking for a new home for him we found out that he was actually an Australian Champion! we also found out just how many homes the poor bugger had been through.

He now lives in the lap of luxury with the lady who runs the dog club two towns over and he has finally found his forever home.

So many stories im really enjoying hearing them, thanks for sharing and whos next!

[WoofnHoof]

Well most people know my two are pet shop jobs so it was just walking past of course I always have to look I can't help myself. The first was my little chi he was the same colour as the chi I had as a kid and he was just the cutest little puppy! Chi babies are totally irresistable so I had to have him, my mum actually paid for him as a get well present as I'd been in hospital

My sibe was a little different he was very subdued in his little glass cage, his brother (a black and white) was very active and bouncy I knew he'd be ok but the little red guy just mildly looked around, he looked very tired (yes I know at this point warning bells should have been ringing - I think my warning system is broke!) When they got him out for me to cuddle he was so frail and thin he weighed hardly anything

I put a deposit on him so I could *think* about it

He grew pretty well and picked up a lot of condition but always had intermittent diahorrhea and about 6 months of age got very sick, after lots of dramas with misdiagnosis I finally found out he had a liver shunt so we made a big trek by car to Sydney where he was operated on by arguably the best shunt surgeon in the world and never looked back (the gory details are recounted somewhere else on this forum can't remember where)

If you look closely you can see the scar running down his belly they had to cut through his sternum, diaphragm etc all the way down to follow the shunt and make sure it didn't diverge anywhere else

[black magic]

We were after a black boy but in the litter of 11, 9 were girls. We said we would have a girl instead of waiting for their next litter.

We met Scout on ANZAC day two years ago!

It was the second time we had visited the breeder but the first time we knew which puppy would be ours.

I remember her ears they were so long! I must have had a funny WTF look on my face cause the breeder said, "don't worry she will grow into them".

I remember her being so big that it took two of my arms to hold her but she fitted so nicely into my OH arms.

She was 6weeks old, and it felt like the longest two weeks of my life waiting for that 8 week mark to come.

When we picked her up I cried on the way home, my OH was like "what's wrong why are you crying" I said, "I've waited 30yrs for this moment"

He still thinks its funny that I cry at the happiest things that happen in my life.

look at these ears

We said she was a loaf of bread on legs

[furballs]

Heartwarming stories guys!

Its amazing how sometimes its just meant to be isnt it. Lunar came to us in a similar fashion we found her entirely by accident, a friend of ours mistook Sienna for her and asked how we had got the rental house dog . We asked what they meant and they told us about the dog that was living in a bird cage in the backyard of the rental property they had looked at. Apparently it was supposed to be part of the package that whoever rented the property needed to feed the dog as well. We rushed around there and sure enough was the skinniest GSP with cuts all over her from trying to dig out of the wire, living in a bird cage. No bed (just frozen mud) snow in the back of the cage and no clean water or food.

Mum harassed her owner for a week until he relented and let us take her home and the local pound man harassed him until he legally signed her over to us. She has lots of issues still (she lived there for five years since puppy hood)but we love her special little heart. If it wasn't for Sienna we would never have known about her existence.

Funnily enough if it wasnt for Lunar and someone hearing how we took her in we would never have found Rueban who was so afraid of life he was too scared to eat and was two days away from being shot. After we had him desexed and began looking for a new home for him we found out that he was actually an Australian Champion! we also found out just how many homes the poor bugger had been through.

He now lives in the lap of luxury with the lady who runs the dog club two towns over and he has finally found his forever home.

So many stories im really enjoying hearing them, thanks for sharing and whos next!

I don't have any great stories about meeting my dogs, but I just wanted to say that you have beautiful, happy dogs and this is a nice positive thread

[Cosmolo]

Dust angel- those photos are gorgeous!!

[Dust Angel]

I don't have any great stories about meeting my dogs, but I just wanted to say that you have beautiful, happy dogs and this is a nice positive thread

Thank you thats a lovely thing to say ! You might not think you have a wonderful story but im sure it is. Id love to hear how you met your dogs or cats or whatever creatures are in your life.

[Dust Angel]

Dust angel- those photos are gorgeous!!

Aww thanks - Sienna really did think we got Lunar for her . Im loving these stories guys really a nice way to spend the evening reading.

[kimigirl]

I just wanted to say I love this photo!!

[Teebs]

When i found out i was getting my own place, the first thing I did was look for a dog

It was either going to be a Bull Terrier or a Staffordshire bull terrier

Rung up a bully breeder and it turns out I actually knew him in real life, he had a litter and told me to come out and pick a puppy

I was given a choice between 3 males, 2 reds and a tri - I didnt like the Tri at first (sorry At) but every time i went out there he was the only dog to come over to me! So he came home with me

When it was time for a second dog, i had my name down with a breeder, she didnt have and females born in the litter i was waiting on, but put me onto someone else with a 4 month old pup. Went and saw her that weekend and took her home with me

Nothing too exciting with my guys!

[Leithy]

I first saw photos of Meg and her six brothers -yes six boys, no other sisters- and debated for two days whether to get her as we didn't have a dog at home and I suprisingly missed our old jack russel terrier. I booked off placement sick, drove the hour and a half to go see her with the money just in case and when I got there all I could here was this insane barking. I went in there and she jumped into my lap and wouldn't move. She is my heart dog and she has the most beautiful nature- she sat in my lap for the first few days, barked at my brother when he entered the house, sits in the window like a cat still and wows anyone she meets. trying to have a seven month old dachshund standard in my lap in a barina didnt work out as well as she liked....

Then this whirlwind called Gypsy came along, I had her flown over from Melbourne as no dachshunds in SA. She was timid at first, huge belly, bulging eyes.... my other half laughed at her and still calls her ugly dog. This dog chewed through 3 pairs of work shoes, sleeps with her tongue out, stole teddies and undies within the first week of settling in. Complete opposide personailty to Meg.

And they get along great.

[Dust Angel]

When i found out i was getting my own place, the first thing I did was look for a dog

It was either going to be a Bull Terrier or a Staffordshire bull terrier

Rung up a bully breeder and it turns out I actually knew him in real life, he had a litter and told me to come out and pick a puppy

I was given a choice between 3 males, 2 reds and a tri - I didnt like the Tri at first (sorry At) but every time i went out there he was the only dog to come over to me! So he came home with me

When it was time for a second dog, i had my name down with a breeder, she didnt have and females born in the litter i was waiting on, but put me onto someone else with a 4 month old pup. Went and saw her that weekend and took her home with me

Nothing too exciting with my guys!

Naw thats sweet - but probably why At ate your jeans.

Thanks Kimigirl - The Tassie Devil certainly isnt that small and cute anymore Ever Since Flute arrived Sienna suddenly started taking herself a lot more seriously - i think to go with the frosting around the snout

[Longclaw]

Dusty those are some lovely photos, I don't think I've seen the ones of Senna as a puppy! Flutey's 'normous puppy ears always make me giggle. And Lunar's story brings a lump to my throat every time I think about it. She is such a gentle little soul, she gives the best cuddles

I posted this last August about how Tommy came into our lives.

We don't know when his birthday is, so instead we mark the day he arrived in our lives: 4 August 2006.

Tommy was dumped in Hawkesbury Pound on Friday 28 July 2006. Because the pound was full, and he was a surrender rather than a stray, he was due to be put to sleep on Monday 31 July. Some kind soul posted his pound photo in the Rescue forum. His name at the time was 'Buster'. He looked so sad and bewildered. I went to sleep that night and I dreamt of him, cold and alone in the pound. I couldn't let him die.

We spent a hectic weekend organising his jailbreak, and it was a close thing but we got there in the end. Thanks to the power of DOL, and particularly the help of his DOL aunties Paula and Shmoo, 'Buster' (quickly renamed Tommy) became our first foster dog. We formally adopted him ourselves some time later, but 4 August is the day he came into our lives, and is the day that holds most meaning for us.

What I didn't say then, was that we spent the first month or two dreading that we would not be able to keep him. He showed a little bit of interest in our cats - not hugely so, but we didn't want to take any chances. We got as far as taking him to a potential adopter's house to meet her and check her yard, thinking that he just wasn't cat safe. I was desperately sad thinking we would have to say goodbye to him... I didn't cry at the adopter's house, but they were brimming. I think we had just parked the car at home when MrLC and I looked at each other and both said... "I don't want him to go."

We were terribly careful with him around the cats - probably more than necessary - for a long time, but we didn't want to take any chances. He quickly learned that the cats were not to be played with, and today we are able to leave him at home, inside, with the cats while we are at work. Which is what he prefers, even though he now has 2 acres of yard to play in!

I can't imagine life without him now, he means the world to me. I know when he's really happy, because he'll be carrying one of my shoes! He doesn't chew them, he just carries them around and puts them on his favourite chair. He is very good at telling me what he wants and how he's feeling, and he always knows when I've had a bad day and need a greyhound snuggle. I lubs him.

Edited April 27, 2010 by Longclaw

[Dust Angel]

So beautiful Longclaw - i bet he knew right away you were his forever home . Now you need to complete your story with a photo of the Divine Tommy boy

ETA - for some reason the photo in your quote didnt work the first time i can see it now..... but how bout some more.....

Edited April 27, 2010 by Dust Angel

[corvus]

First time I met Kivi I trod on him. The little guy just snuck up behind me and when I turned around I stepped on his toe. He cried and ran away, but he came back again a while later. He was 6 weeks old.

Erik was flown to us. We hadn't met him beforehand. Our first site of him was him sitting in his crate at the airport looking completely lost and bewildered. I remember thinking he was considerably cuter than I had been anticipating. He came out of the crate with us and perked up right away. OH nursed him on the way home because I had nursed Kivi. Somehow OH ended up with the cuddly puppy that wanted to watch his face the whole time while I got the car sick one.

[Niques]

First met James at 4 1/2 weeks. Never really had a "click" moment. There were only two black boys in a litter of 10 and we didn't find out which one the breeder had picked for us until the weekend before he came home.

J had a scab on the back of his neck and the second time we went to visit him, I started getting a tiny bit attached to "warthead". I think I was under the impression his scab added character The time between the second and third visits had me growing increasingly fond of "warthead". I eventually mentioned the scar to the rest of the family and we all started referring to our puppy as "warthead". By 7 weeks when we went to sort out the details before picking him up I had my heart set on Warthead and it turns out the breeder had him picked out for us as well - match made in heaven!

Only shame is the rest of the family weren't keen on hanging on to his "Warthead" moniker