We looked into a lot of options, and tried to find a suitable puppy/dog to have in a home with a young child, but we just couldn't find any that was the right fit. It's one thing to take on a dog with known issues if it's two adults in the home, but with Alex being around, we wanted a bit more security re. temperament and size, even though we know there's no guarantees with getting a dog.
We finally decided to get a Labrador Retriever, and I did some research and spoke to quite a few breeders within about a 3-5 hour drive of here. I ended up choosing an amazing and lovely breeder who lives about an hour from us. Christine runs Lonewind Acres and she has absolutely amazing dogs. While I wouldn't ever choose a puppy or breeder based on colour of the puppies, I was concerned about temperament and the overall "look" of the dog as labs can range from very stocky and short-legged to very leggy with a more pointed muzzle. When I first called her, one of her dogs had just had a litter of chocolate labs - once again, I would never choose a puppy solely for its colour, but all things being equal, I do have a soft spot for chocolate labs, so I was excited to go out and see them after spending a lot of time on the phone with Christine.
The puppies were only a week old and they were absolutely adorable. Even though I just loved getting to see the puppies and cuddle them (Alex got to cuddle a couple too!), I was more keen on seeing the other dogs she had, especially the Mom and Dad from the litter.
Sage is the Mom and she was absolutely adorable. Not only was her temperament very sweet, but she was simply a beautiful dog. She was doing such a good job with the puppies, and she was so calm while we fussed with them a bit and checked them all out.
We then got to see the Dad, named Tramp. Once again, he was a beautiful dog with a lovely boxy head and a calm temperament. He had such a nice build to him and I could just imagine how lovely the puppies would turn out to be with such great parents.
We waited till the puppies were older to select which one we wanted, and we chose a cute male and named him Strider. He came home with us when he was about 8 weeks old and he's been such a super puppy. He housetrained very easily and he has the most amazing temperament. He makes us laugh all the time and he's incredible with Alex - they're great buddies. The two cats aren't too keen on Strider, but he's learned to give them their space and respect their warning signs (although he does seem to like to bug them once in a while).
Here's a picture of Strider at about 7 weeks and a more recent photo of him as well as a small slideshow of pictures of him. Enjoy!
Here's some shots from puppyhood to more recent pics:
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