OMG... I have a chance to get a 7 month old female pem, tri with a red and white face, from the breeder I have been most interested in. She was one kept for show that didn't pan out. She sounds perfect. My cons are I have been saving for the purchase price. A friend offered to loan me the rest of what I need. I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that. I don't have a fence yet, and the ground is frozen. I teach and work for the afterschool program twice a week. A teenager in the neighborhood can do potty breaks those days. Then there is Mokey. I assumed it would be easier to introduce a younger puppy to the cat.

If I wait until summer vacation, it will be July before I can get a pup at 10-12 weeks, if not August. School starts the last week of August. My fence will be up. The money will be saved. I will have to potty train...I just am so torn about what to do. Right now I want to go at least meet the 7 month old. I'm guessing my heart will overtake my rational side at that point.

Any advice?

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I think I am going to go for it. I had my head wrapped around the price, just not so soon. I need to email the breeder tonight with a few detail questions, food, crate size etc. Hopefully we can set up a time to meet her (the pup) this weekend or next. They sent me a picture last night, it did me in.

I called my vet today and got an estimate for a spay. I would like to have it done before her first heat. How soon would she come into heat? 9 months?

Now how to puppy proof the house in two days. There are cat toys everywhere! Kramer learned to leave the cat toys alone, don't think the puppy will. I think the bedroom will be Mokey's safety zone. Her cat tree is in there and she spends a good part of the day there. Who knows, maybe they will be fine. Mokey was very much in love with Kramer. I think she mourned as much as I did.

Please make sure to pick up the cat toys as part of the puppy proofing. A small foam ball was offered to my first corgi puppy by an unknowing niece - and it obstructed her digestive system ultimately leading to an untimely death.

And our corgis love the cat toys. It's a fight to keep,them away.

It will take more than one search to find them all, but they will get packed away for now. Her favorite toy is currently a "da bird" which I have to keep in a cabinet when not in use. As long as I still give her playtime I don't think she will miss most of the other toys. I can play the cat food game while the pup is in her crate. I throw a piece of food, she stalks and eats it. Kramer would down stay and watch the game if we shared a piece or two. It will be awhile before a puppy has that control.

A kitty safe zone is the most important thing for kitty during the adjustment period (brand new pup or 7 months) we have two cats and they were used to our very elderly dogs who didn't do much. When we got our pups, our daughter's room was the safe zone. Our most skittish stray (who I think has PTSD, no joke) stayed INSIDE a box, INSIDE the room for two whole days.

I'm not sure how Mokey will react. She hides whenever new people come over. I have one friend she will come out for. On school vacations we often drive to northern Maine to visit my mother. She isn't scared by Mom's dog at all. Mokey has slapped her around more than once.  We have to be careful and watch her when the dog eats. Mokey doesn't understand to stay out of the food dish. Kramer just shared when he was still with us. I'll have to be super careful with feeding times with the puppy.

Any suggestions on gates types or xpens?

Excited for you!  ^,,^

Personally, I would not go in debt to get any dog, even if that was all I had to pay.  As it is, dogs can be expensive AFTER you get them, so I would resist the impulse of buying until I was on more secure footing.  All the other reasons you mention add to that, but can more easily be worked around.  If you want your heart to overtake your rational side, go see an available rescue dog, at least you will save a life in the process....and you will be loved back just as much without breaking the Bank!.

OK paranoia is starting to set in. Most of my contact with the breeder has been by email. I haven't heard from her since Wednesday night. I tried calling today and only got voice mail. I'll try again in a bit and leave a message. My imagination tends to work overtime, so many scenarios are going through my head.

My plan was to visit the pup this weekend and if all goes well pick her up next weekend. I've waited to transfer the money to my checking so I have  time to let my rational side think it over.

As far as getting a rescue dog...I thought it over long and hard. I have had two dogs as an adult 10 and 12 years respectively. Each was a rescue. I rescued Kramer when I was working on the Navajo reservation. He had issues. Obedience and agility helped, and I loved him, but oh how he had issues. I have never had a puppy and would like to start at the beginning and not spend years fixing someone else's mistakes. I know I stand a chance of that anyway with a seven month old, but I am aware.

False alarm. All is well and I am going to meet the pup on Sunday! I'll post after I get home.

Just want to say at 7 months if in the wrong hands she can have just as many issues as an adult. I recently adopted a 7-10 month old corgi pup and he is SOOOOOOOO fearful and its clear he has been mistreated. Not to mention the fact that he came loaded with giardia, a horrible kennel cough infection, and some other infection and has wracked up the vet bills in the one short week I've had him. He is also now on 4 different antibiotics and a prescription diet and all of my animals (including myself) are at risk of getting sick. At that age you aren't getting to do the whole puppy thing and the peak socialization period is over so if she wasn't socialzed right, your out of luck. So I'd say wait until you can get a puppy puppy if that's what you want or make sure the breeder lets you have her on trial for a month or so to determine what her personality is REALLY like and if she is really worth $1500.

That is part of the reason I am going to meet her then giving myself time to make a decision. Her situation sounds good. She was well socialized early, she was kept as a show prospect. Her breeder is in New Mexico currently and the pup is with someone she co-breeds with. She's in the house not a kennel. Both breeders have good reputations. The breeder will take her back if it doesn't work out. She also has a health guarantee.

I hope things work out with your pup.

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