I've been waiting a couple of months to go with my friend Audrey to her parents' farm. They have started raising German Shepherd puppies. I'm one of those anti-pet store, pro-Humane Society people, and all my animals have come from rescues at shelters, but I'm also in love with German Shepherds. So I thought I'd go up to the farm and take a look and see if I thought it was more "these people love dogs and it's their life" or if it was "puppy mill lite". I'm glad that I went.
When I got there, we first went into the house. On the wall, there were framed pictures of their adult dogs. Audrey and her dad pointed out the ones that belonged to Audrey's siblings and their families. I showed them the two that looked kind of how I'd like my dog to look. I really like Audrey's dad, and when he apologized for the state of the house, it made me like him even more. I replied, "It's a FARM! Of course there's mud!"
Then we got to go outside. We went to the puppy barn first. Inside, Audrey showed me a first-time mama and her puppies, which still had their eyes closed. SC and I each held one. They were so tiny and adorable. Their mama was really nervous that unknown people had her puppies, though, so we put them back.
After that, Audrey pointed us to a big, wooden stall. Inside were puppies around 6 weeks. I walked inside and plopped down on the hay. Audrey and her mother started offering me chairs and overturned buckets and things to sit on, but I just laughed. This was what I was waiting for. So, as Audrey took SC to look at some other puppies, I allowed the puppies in my stall to crawl over me. One curled up on my lap. Another stood, front paws on my thigh, and licked my cheek. Two nibbled on my shoes. It was perfection and beauty and everything good in the world. Me and puppies. Me and a cold stall and six puppies crawling on me. I scooped one up and murmured to it. It wiggled with happiness.
We saw many more dogs today -- puppies and full-grown -- and the thing that really struck me was how NICE they all were. I've had German Shepherds growing up, and Shepherd mixes at the Humane Society, and they were all great dogs. But we raised them that way. Shepherds can go either way. You can always get one that is mean or skittish. But not here. SC was allowed full range of the farm. Every dog -- even the HUGE males -- just kissed him and ran in circles. SC played tug-of-war with one female. Even the puppies didn't nip.
I also loved how much the dogs were loved. This wasn't a puppy mill, where they were kept in tiny cages and never touched. This was a family, and the dogs were part of it.
I'm so excited to get my puppy from there in the spring. I really want to name her Scylla. They're going to keep their eyes open for a mostly black female puppy, but honestly, after today, I know that they were all beautiful.
But I can't get two, okay? I really can't get two. Remind me of that.
What does NGS have to say about beauty today?
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