In the Beginning

I have always wanted a dog. I would wish for one every Christmas and every birthday. (I had thought that those occasions were perfect opportunities for my parents to purchase a cuddly puppy, and wrap a bow around it to give to me as a gift.) Alas, the closest I ever got was a kitten -- which was good, but it wasn't a dog. My cat, Patches, would not play fetch. She was an indoor cat and I had wanted a pet that I could take outside and walk.  (I must have expressed this sentiment to my parents because they had purchased me a kitty harness and leash - have you ever seen someone walking a cat? Trust me, it's not the same as walking a dog.) So... life went on, my parents divorced, and I was forced to give Patches away but my dream for a dog never died.

Patches

In Spring of 2000, a few months away from my college graduation, I decided that I was going to get the dog that I had always wanted - the most regal and perfect looking dog, a weimaraner. I started following the paper and looking at "Pet Corner" postings. My husband Brian, who was my boyfriend at the time, didn't try to talk me out of it. He even took me to see puppies for sale.

After a couple of weeks of inquiring about weimaraner puppies with no real leads, I finally came across Amy.  She said that she had 3 males and 4 females available. They were 6 weeks old and she invited me out to her farm to see them. So, we drove out - Brian likes to tell the story about the drive - I guess I neglected to tell him that the farm was located all the way in West Virginia... oops.

When we reached the farm, it was the most perfect looking place. You know those Hidden Valley commercials where everything is perfect, everyone is happy, and everyone is eating vegetables? Well, it was like that except without the vegetables.  It was a white farmhouse sitting on top of a lush green  yard surrounded by beautiful fields.  As our car came up the driveway, a weimaraner ran out to greet us.  We got out of the car, met Amy and then saw the most cutest puppies in the world. They had been playing around in the field and Amy had brought them back for us to look at.  I knew that I had wanted a boy so she indicated which were the boys and let us play with them.

Now, for the record, this is how it really happened... I selected a puppy and Brian selected a puppy. Weimaraners by nature are very energetic and fast. The puppy that I selected was the slowest one in the group.  I chose him because I thought that I would have a better chance of keeping up with him. Brian had selected another puppy and when we compared the two, he tried to convince me that his puppy was better.  When Amy came back, I handed the puppy that I had selected over to her and that was that - the choice had been made. I had chosen Tahoe*, the best dog in the world.

Baby Tahoe

Amy took Tahoe inside to wash him for us... he was covered in a little bit of cow poop from the field. She brought back this beautiful grey puppy that had the bluest eyes and softest coat. We signed the papers and then we were off, Brian driving, with me in the passenger seat and Tahoe sleeping in my lap.

*Tahoe's name comes from a trip that Brian and I took to Lake Tahoe and Reno one summer. During the summertime, Lake Tahoe is a beautiful blue lake. Tahoe's eyes were a beautiful blue, like the lake, and the name reminds us of that trip that we took.