Cheese: Probably going to be the most spoiled puppy in the world

This Christmas has been quite difficult to face without Bran and I have to admit that I've been finding it a struggle to get into the spirit  :o(

However, I temporarily forgot about the incredible support network that I have around me and their amazing kindness and thoughtfulness and how well they all know how to make me smile  :o)

From my lovely friend Emma, Cheese already has their first ~ personalised! ~ puppy dummy and dummy keyring

From my lovely friend Jo, a special coffee mug to remind me of the good things to come

From my lovely friend Tina, a necklace to keep Cheese close to my heart

And just a sample of the gifts that Moss and Casey received from us and our friends! The box full of treats was out in the kitchen  ;o)

Not to mention the constant access to the doting "grandparents" who have been on hand 24/7 to play tug with Moss and to cuddle Casey as well as the bowls of turkey and leftover veg that have replaced the usual meals!

What a very lucky pup Cheese is going to be  :o)

Evaluating priorities and a new obsession??

I had a conversation with Kate recently that made me stop and have a really long and hard think about my priorities in the puppy that will one day be Cheese.

She sensibly pointed out that as the sire of Lara's litter has not yet been decided upon, there are no guarantees as to what colour the litter will be. She knows that I had my heart set on a yellow boy but basic labrador genetics come into play. If she chooses a black boy who carries no yellow, then the litter will be all black (as that's the labrador "default" colour); if she chooses a black boy who carries yellow then the litter may be 50/50 black and yellow; if she chooses a yellow boy then the litter will be all yellow.

I spent an entire night tossing and turning and trying to decide what I needed to say to her. Then, as the sun rose, it struck me that I had prepared for myself a very specific and detailed list of what I wanted from a breeder, some things I was prepared to compromise on but most I wasn't. In Kate and the wonderful Ardenbrook, I had not had to compromise on a single thing, thus far, even on the things that I had really expected to have to compromise on.

And suddenly the sleepless night of fretting seemed completely and utterly ridiculous, because I realised that my number one priority was that Cheese be a happy, healthy puppy born to Lara and raised by Kate.

So. Decision made. Cheese will be what Cheese will be. I still have a slight preference on Cheese being a boy, but if my yellow boy turns out to be a black girl, then so be it. And they will still be called Cheese whatever the sex or colour. I imagine the name will be explained many times anyway, it'll just be a slightly longer story if Cheese is black!  ;o)

Of course, if Cheese DOES turn out to be a black girl, then she will fit in just perfectly with the pattern for every other plan I've ever made for having dogs! Our first dog was going to be a golden retriever, but turned out to be a 7 month old lurcher. My second dog was going to be a saluki, but was actually the world's largest collie. I wasn't having a third permanent dog at all, until I met Flora. We were never having terriers, and then along came Hugo, and, eventually, Moss and Casey. Bran was the only dog who was ever exactly what he was supposed to be  ;o)

In amongst all of the serious thinking that I've had to do, I've also been desperately missing my darling Bran as Christmas approaches and trying to accept that I have yet another dog who will not be receiving presents this year  :o(  I have done several things to cheer myself up. The first is to send presents to all of Bran's most special doggy friends ~ all thirty-five of them! The second was to buy Cheese a Christmas present that won't be able to be used until they are almost fully grown, but hey ho!!

My lovely friend Dee spotted this collar and how could I not get it???

Christmassy Cheese Collar

I bought it from Rescue Me Collars in America and I was supremely impressed with them from the moment I placed my order. It cost only £13 for the collar to be made in a large size AND to be posted from the US to the UK ~ bargain! Rescue Me Collars also ask you to nominate a rescue when you place an order and when a rescue receives 6 nominations, they will send them a free collar ~ isn't that lovely? The choice of fabrics is vast so you'd be bound to find something very special and unique for your dog  ;o)

And then the collar arrived and I was even more impressed. Firstly, it was wrapped in red tissue paper and tied with a green ribbon and looked just lovely. Secondly, a Christmas card was included with my invoice. You have to remember that the lady who made the collar knows nothing of my Cheese plans, but the Christmas card had a yellow labrador puppy on it! She had also written a very lovely and personal message inside the card thanking me for ordering and telling me how much she likes this fabric and wishing me a happy 2013. I will most definitely be recommending them and have no doubt that I will need to be ordering more collars very very soon.

For the record, Cheese now has a baby puppy collar, a bigger puppy collar and a matching lead, plus this Christmas collar for when they are growed up. Too much, d'you think??  ;o)