On Saturday we had a flight scheduled at 8am to fly to Boise Idaho. Why you ask? Well, Tim and I have been interested in getting a boxer for several years now. We like these dogs for several reasons 1) They have high energy which fits our active lifestyle 2) They are smart 3) They don't shed a lot 4) They are very loyal and protective 5) They are great with kids 6)They are so dang cute.
We looked at breeders in Washington and weren't very happy with the results. We wanted a breeder that raises good dogs but isn't in it for profit, that doesn't sell to puppy mills, that genuinely cares about the dogs, and that raises them in a healthy manner. The breeder that we found that we had high hopes for just happened to be located in Boise. She is an amazing lady. Boxers are known to have some heart issues and all of her dogs that are bred have had extensive heart checks and have come back clear. She sells to no puppy mill states, she turns down people and keeps the dogs herself if she can't place them in good homes, and she is just a genuinely nice lady that could care less about the money she gets from breeding as she cares more about producing quality boxers (as she too has struggled finding reputable breeders). Not to mention- all of her dogs that she breeds are champion line boxers which means that all her puppies come from the best boxers. She is absolutely amazing.
We found her a while ago and it turns out she had a litter that is now 6 weeks old. We kept talking and were very comfortable with her and decided we would fly to Idaho to see the puppies, to talk about if we wanted one, to see if one clicked with us, to see how the puppy parents were, and to make sure we clicked/felt comfortable with the breeder in person. The puppies aren't old enough to go home but at least we could see them in person while we had some free time and consider it. Then additionally we would have a few weeks to plan/prepare if we did end up deciding to get a puppy. So at 10am Saturday morning we landed in Boise and started our adventure. Crazy, right?
We got to her house and were greeted by her adult boxers. Once we were inside a little puppy ran up to us. This was a puppy from the prior litter (born December 19) and was 12 weeks old. The breeders husband had decided to keep her as he wanted a little girl to call his own. She was adorable and stuck by our side the whole time.
Shortly after we got there, we played with the 6 babies (4 boys and 2 girls). 2 of the puppies had already been placed in homes (and one is going to Washington to be a service dog!!) They were adorable.
We continued to chat with the breeder and we kept remarking how the 12 week old puppy was so cute and so loveable. The breeder mentioned that puppy was actually going to be placed in a good home because her husband had decided that morning that he did not have patience to potty train. Tim and I looked at each other and knew that we were hopeless at that point. She, Miss Bella, had already picked us. An hour or so later, we got to meet her parents. They were such great grown up boxers. About an hour after that, Bella was passed out on my lap and we knew that we couldn't say no. We loved her from the second we saw her and bonded with her right away. The breeder saw this too and gave us a special deal on her. She was going to raise the the price since as she grew, her coloring/head shape (all things that go into the pricing of boxers) had really developed in a way that makes her a very expensive little girl. But the breeder gave us what she would have charged originally, which was much, much less than we expected to pay based on the looks/personality of her.
The next step was figuring out a way to get home. Fly or drive? An 8 hour drive back to Seattle versus an hour flight? Seems like a no-brainer but we didn't know if we could fly her. We called the airline and for $100 they said we could. Done. So we had to run to petsmart to find a carrier that fit her. This was not easy. Even though she is still just a baby, she is 20 pounds and is not tiny. We finally found one and busted it to the airport for our 5:30 flight. We had some issues getting the rental car back (there was no agent- WTF?!) so by this point it is 5:00 and we are sprinting through the Boise airport, literally.
We get to the counter and we are 5 minutes late. They have given our seats to people flying standby. UGHH! They tell us they can put us on standby for the 7pm flight that night, which just happens to be the last flight out. That doesn't sound promising. Eventually they just give us tickets for the flight, thank god. We have two hours to kill and spend it outside in the 70 degree sun with Miss Bella. It felt really nice.
Getting on to the flight, a huge thunderstorm decided to come through Boise. Miss Bella was not a fan. She cried running to the plane (as it was a small plane we had to walk out to). BUT, we got her in, under the seat, and she slept through the whole flight without a peep. We got back to Seattle around 7:45 and we booked it to Petco to load up on supplies since we were so totally unprepared. We had NOTHING. We did NOT expect to come home with a dog that day. So with 5 minutes to spare, we checked out at Petco with all our puppy gear in tow. Of course, Bella had to leave her mark too and peed right by the register right as we were walking out (and right after I had taken her outside)... thanks, Bella!
We get home and feed her, make her go potty, introduce her to the kitties and put her in her "house" to sleep. She passed out, as did we and we were only up with her once that first night. Sunday was a bit overwhelming. We were all getting used to each other and she was getting used to her new environment so there were a few accidents. Also, she cried all Sunday night and we were up with her twice. Monday was much better. Only 1 or 2 accidents. And yesterday?? ZERO accidents and she slept for 7 hours straight last night. She is such a good puppy so far. She learns so quickly and is so sweet and cuddly. She's been so good with the kitty boys as well (who have mostly just been curious about her- not mad, no hissing really).
So, now we have our newest little addition to our family. We already love her so much. She is going to be a great dog. Her name was already Bella (which we loved) and we named her middle name after her mom, who she looks just like (the reverse brindle coloring). We have a vet appointment today for a checkup and some shots so we'll see how that goes. And, guess what? I even have pictures:
Tim playing with the little 6 week old puppies. They were so cute. Definitely pooping monsters though.
Miss Bella hanging out by Tim with the little puppies. She played so nicely with them.
Me with a little girl puppy, punk. Bella is right behind me. I'm telling you, she stuck right by us the whole time.
Tim with Bella's dad, Archer. Notice Bella between his knees.
And Tim with Miss Bella as we were getting ready to head to the airport.
Miss Bella at home in her "house" with her little monkey friend. She will whine at first every night but at the same time will "cuddle" him which makes him squeak. It is so cute.
Playing with Mr. Monkey.
Trying to figure out what all this bone fuss is about. Shortly after she discovered how much she loves chewing rawhide bones we got from Whole Foods (yes, the dog will be organic too, what can I say)
More cuteness.
And even more cuteness. I couldn't help it, I think she is just adorable!
Here you can see how big her paws are... she will probably be 50-60 pounds. Not too large but not too small either.
And Tim getting her to play tug of war. 
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