On the Hunt

If you haven't already heard, Mr. L and I are officially making plans to add a new (four-legged) member to our little family!  (Don't worry -- we're not planning on having any babies until we get back from Hawaii!  Haha)

A couple of weeks ago, when we found out that Mr. L would be training in Maryland and that I'd be moving back in with my parents, we knew that we would be leaving the apartment complex where we currently live.  After some thinking, I counted up the months between June/July and October/November, and I realized that we'd have just enough time to complete Hawaii quarantine procedures if we were to get a dog.

You see, the main thing holding us back from getting a pooch since we've gotten married has been our apartment's enormous pet fee.  It would've cost $400 (non-refundable!) for us to keep a dog here.  So it was always a no-brainer that we'd just wait and save ourselves a large chunk of cash in the meantime.

Now that the apartment complex issue will be a non-issue, I discussed this idea with Mr. L.  To my surprise, he actually agreed!  And after getting my parents' permission to keep a puppy in their house while I live there, the hunt began to find a new little sweetheart to call our own.

A long time ago, we'd decided that a Miniature Schnauzer was the right breed for us.  Its temperament, size, and energy level agreed with both of us, and I LOVED that it has a coat with minimal to no shedding (a "no shedder" has always been my number one priority in a dog -- my poodles spoiled me for sure!).  So a Miniature Schnauzer is what we've been searching for -- specifically with a salt and pepper coat, Mr. L's favorite color combination in the breed.

Oh my God look at that FACE!

I think I'm in love! 

I've been searching high and low for a reputable breeder close to our area, and I'm hoping some recent finds will lead us to the breeder and puppy that's perfect for us.  I won't lie, though, I am feeling a lot of guilt because we aren't rescuing a Schnauzer, but I'm still searching Petfinder.com religiously to see if our baby may come from there.  I'm also constantly stalking Schnauzer Love Rescue, a wonderful organization based in the Southeast dedicated to finding homes for Schnauzers and Schnauzer mixes.  It really just depends on what is available when the time comes for us to adopt (May/June of this year).

They're seriously a wonderful organization.  Check them out!

I don't want to close off any avenue that could potentially provide us with a loving family member, but at the same time, if we do decide to purchase rather than adopt, I will do my best to research, research, research to make sure we do NOT purchase from a puppy mill or backyard breeder.  It's definitely hard to weed through all of the sources, but I do believe it can be done and that it will be worth it in the end.  For now, I'll just continue to research my tushie off until we find a puppy that's perfect for us :)