Bea at 7 weeks
For quite some time now, we have been contemplating getting a dog. I have always favored dogs although Dina and I had a cat and I found I love them too. Years ago, I discovered a rare breed of dog; the Portuguese Waterdog. I really wanted one but was not in a position to care for a dog given work schedules and the time needed to exercise such a breed.
Now we felt the time was right; the kids really wanted one and could help with walking and feeding it. Dina is at home a lot so she can care for it and I work right across the street. The question was, what kind of breed? We needed a little dog that could travel well on airplanes by being tucked under the seat in front of us. I was never fond of lapdogs. But my niece, Palina, has a small dog (Lola) that we are very fond of and it seems fitting since smaller dogs are easier to care for.
After much research, we decided the timing was right. During the Christmas break, we looked at differnet smaller breeds: Westies, Bichon Frise, King Charles Spaniels… and Melissa was very helpful in finding local dogs in the Sacramento area where we could look at pups. But it had to be the right dog with a mellow temperament and small size (under 15 pounds). She brought a litter of Lhaso Apso's to my attention. I knew nothing about the breed. Reading about them I discovered that they are originally known as the Tibetan Terrier (although they are not terriers). The Dali Lama and Buddist monks raised them for companionship and their calm temperament. They have keen hearing and alert bigger dogs in the temples when strangers or visitors are coming.
This litter seemed perfect. A frail grandmother owned the female and her daughter owned the male. It was right after Christmas so we got the pick of the litter. One of the males was quite attractive. He had beautiful markings of black and white but he was a bit too frisky. The tawny female was the gentlest. She was curious and came over a few times while her brother chewed on my finger. She let me roll her over on her back without fuss and we observed the litter for about an hour and a half. She clearly won my over so I bought her and brought her home.
We named her Bea (short for Beatrix) although there were many other names on the short list. She seems to be bright and learns fast. She socializes well with people and other dogs and the kids really like her.
It was a long flight home from California but she did remarkably well in a carrier and she is now 9 weeks old and already used to the snow and her daily routines. Yesterday she played outside with Stefan and his friends while they built a "ski park" and slid down a steep hill squatting on their heels while she chased them up and down! We are reading lots of books and articles on dog training and raising a puppy. her Tyotya Tanya has given us lots of tips as well as how to make our own dog food. It's a lot of work but fun to have a puppy in the house!
twenty-something years of "what have you been up to?" 
Leave a reply to Sirianna Cancel reply