Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Meet Quattro
Anyone who knows me, whether having met me five minutes ago or has known me my whole life, is aware of my love for dogs. I love dogs of all shapes and sizes. They are man's best friend. Someone to come home to who is so excited to see you no matter what kind of day they have had. Someone who depends on you and is loyal to you. The relationship an owner and a dog has is unlike any other. So, because of all that I have always wanted a dog of my very own. Not one to share with my siblings or parents. A dog that I can say is mine just as I am his.
After we closed on the house, I thought it was finally time for me to get a dog. I was constantly pursuing various breeder and adoption websites looking for the perfect canine. I drove Nick crazy with the picture messages and emails I would send him of the most adorable little puppies on a daily basis. After some major arm twisting and constant pestering, I finally got Nick to agree to getting a dog. The dog after all would be living in OUR house, so I could not really go out and get a dog without him knowing about it. He had two conditions though. It had to be an Alaskan-type breed and his name had to be Quattro. For those who are unaware, Nick is an Audi enthusiast so that name was nothing but fitting for our future dog. So my research began. I learned about a handful of breeds that would fit Nick's criteria: Siberian Huskies, Samoyed's, American Eskimos, and Alaskan Malamutes. I learned about their temperament, their health, how trainable they are, their eating habits, and personalities. You name it, I read about how it pertained to each individual breed. Finally, we came to the decision to get an Alaskan Malamute. This breed is often confused with the Siberian Husky. "Awww look at the husky!" is a running joke in our house. They are the largest of the Alaskan breeds. Strong. Dependable. Smart. Loyal. Perfect for us!
Then came the more difficult task; finding a breeder within driving distance. I had been in contact with a breeder in Northern Vermont that had a liter coming in the next few months. However, one day I came across another breeder in Buffalo, NY. And wouldn't you know it, they were having a sale on their remaining two puppies left from a recent litter. The puppies would be ready for pick up in a week. This was it. I had found our dog. I immediately sent Nick the picture of "Gray Star" (as he was known to his surrogate family) and he too agreed that this was the dog for us. I called the breeder and placed the deposit. We were able to pick him up two days before Christmas. It was a dream come true. I believe my Facebook status that day was "Today is the day all of my dreams come true..." Nick and I set out early in the morning on our journey to Buffalo. I was so excited the entire way out there. I could not wait to hold this little guy in my arms. As we pulled into the driveway, I could see two little puppy heads pop up form the kennel. My heart stopped. I could not contain myself. After a few breathing exercises, we got out of the car and went to the front door to meet the breeders. As soon as I walked in the door this adorable, fluffy creature came walking towards us. I was hesitant to pick him up at first, but then remembered that he was ours!
After the breeders showed us Quattro's parents and giving us the details of his diet and development process, we were on our way back home. Being that he was so small, Quattro rode on my lap the whole snowy ride. We became comfortable with each other pretty quickly.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Happy Birthday Quattro!
If a stranger were to walk up to our dog, I am pretty certain they would not realize he is just one year old. The day we picked him up at 8 weeks old he was smaller than my parents 12 pound Bichon. Today on his first birthday, he is pushing 75+. Now I must confess I am writing this post from Bradenton, FL. Therefore I will not be spending my babies first birthday with him. As any mother would be, I am quite distraught about this. Luckily he is with my parents for the week, so he will get the attention and love that he needs!
It is hard to believe how fast the past year went, and even more crazy is how fast he grew! He went through the stages of growth like any kid does. Quattro started out as a cute little puppy, went through his awkward teenage stage where his ears were way to big for his head, and has now rounded out the year as a very handsome young man. Some of you may be laughing at my comparisons to a human, but any true dog lover will understand where I am coming from.
I am wishing our boy a very happy birthday! I hope he gets a few extra treats and a spin around the yard with his best friend Buddy the Bichon. When we return from vacation, I will be sure to shower him with love and kisses…and maybe even a birthday cake just for him.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Quattro Meets Kato
It is strange how social media can connect people in so many different ways. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter...they are all a part of our every day lives and can bring you in contact with the most coincidental situations. We had a pretty crazy experience this past year that brought together Quattro and his brother.
Nick is an avid user of Instagram. I myself just recently joined the rage. Anyways, as any owner would do, Nick was posting pictures of our cute little fluff ball. Nick is also a lover of the hashtag. The more the better in his opinion. #malamute #puppy #dogsofig #malamutenothusky...one of these was seen by a couple in Rhode Island. They could not believe how similar their puppy looked to ours. "Where did you get your malamute?" they had asked Nick via a post on the gram. After some back and forth chatting, we quickly learned that our puppies came from the same breeder and from the same litter! They had actually picked their dog up the day after we got ours!
(Kato on the left, Quattro on the right at about 10 weeks old)
We continued to follow each others' posts of the pups. This allowed us to watch the brothers grow and we were able to compare their development. It was decided that we had to reintroduce the dogs again some day. So later in the summer we met at a park halfway between us. I was curious and also a tad nervous on how the meeting may go. I kept asking Nick, "Do you think they will know or recognize each other?" Finally the time had come. Now at first, being that they are both males and of the "alpha dog" type breed, they were hesitant of each other. It was clear that they were trying to show dominance over the other. Eventually though, they accepted each others presence.
We walked around the park and talked with Kato's parents. The two boys just hung out with each other, perhaps speaking in secret dog code. No? Ok...fine. I must admit though, I was a little sad. I was hoping for a grand reunion where they would run and jump and play. But reality hit. These are after all animals. Also not to mention, the last time they saw each other was when they were 8 weeks old. Nobody would remember that far back! All in all, it was still a very nice day. It was pretty neat reintroducing the dogs and Nick of course was able to get some cool pictures.
No comments:
Post a Comment