Babble

Because working for GE full time, getting his executive MBA degree from UW-Madison, furnishing a new home, frequently traveling for work and pleasure, standing up in five weddings this summer and planning a wedding of his own later this year isn’t enough, Jeff decided he and Molly needed a puppy. A pick-of-the-litter nearly-white female Labrador Retriever from a breeder in Burlington, WI, to be exact. The puppies were born in late January and this morning Jeff, Molly and I met our parents in Burlington and we all went to check them out.

When we entered the home of Sue the breeder, it was immediately apparent that this woman loves Labs. In addition to the eight adult dogs she keeps as her own, the house is literally covered with Labs… Labs on curtains, blankets, plates, stained-glass, paintings, life-size statues, lab-supported tables, etc. Even the soap in the bathroom had dogs on it. Given the environment I was pleasantly surprised and relieved once we started talking to her — she was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable, and didn’t seem to have any of the social quirks one might expect from someone who chooses to surround herself with thousands of pieces of dog paraphernalia. So far, all good.

She started out with an overview of the puppies’ ancestry. We were introduced to Abby (the puppies’ mom), two of Abby’s pups from a different litter, Abby’s mother Cali, and a couple other dogs that were somehow related to Molly, the now-deceased great grandmother of the new puppies. I think. I tried to take photographs but the fraction-of-a-second delay on my digital camera was no match for the excited dogs. I’d focus, shoot and before the shutter opened the dogs had already traveled around the room in circles… which resulted in a lot of photos like this. There were a few successes though, and when the dogs held still, it was obvious they were well-bred and well-cared for.

After the family meet & greet it was time to head upstairs to meet the puppies. I don’t think any of us were prepared for how cute they were. We all sat down and Sue brought out the six females so Jeff and Molly could choose the one they wanted. Easier said than done. My Mom immediately went into Grandma mode, declaring any of them would be wonderful, but we eventually narrowed it down to three. The blue-yarn and cream-yarn puppies gave it their best shot but in the end Peachy was selected. Which she seemed to take in stride.

So, in two weeks “Cali” (chosen before they knew the grandmother’s name) will go home to live with Jeff & Molly. And their crazy-busy household will get a little bit crazier and busier.