Bandit

The short story is we went for a drive on a very chilly and sunny Saturday and came home with a dog.

Below is the long version.

Eric and I have been discussing the idea of getting another dog, a Labradoodle, after our summer trip to the US. Initially, we thought it would be great if we could pick out a puppy while we were in the US and bring it back with us on the plane. After speaking with a few Michigan breeders, most summer puppies would not be able to go home till September. This would be too late for the puppy to come back with us and I did not want to put a puppy in the cargo area. When we found this out, we started looking into our options of obtaining a dog here.

While searching for breeders in continental Europe, we discovered the Labradoodle is not a common breed here and the wait list can be up to two years for a specific type. Our other option was to find a breeder in the UK as they are more common there; however, we would have to find the travel time to pick up the dog and bring the dog back to Germany with the proper paperwork.

Surfing the web earlier in the week, we came across a picture of two apricot 16 week old F1 mini-Labradoodle puppies for sale - one resembled a Poodle and the other a Labrador Retriever-  from a breeder within a few hours of us. Eric contacted the breeder to find out more information about the puppies and her future litters. She informed Eric she plans on having a chocolate litter in the late summer as she breeds chocolate labs, sent him her website, and then said the one puppy was spoken for, but the other one was still available. 

Friday morning, the breeder emailed Eric saying the people backed out and both puppies were now available if we were interested. After some discussion and obtaining more information about the puppies, we told her we would come and look as it was a good time for us to become familiar with the feel of this breed's coat because it can vary so much and the potential size.

I immediately called our landlord, Alex, to ask for permission for us to have a dog. I quickly explained the situation and apologized for not asking in person as the circumstances came about quicker than planned, but we wanted his approval if it all worked out and we were to get one of these puppies. He said we could have a dog as long as he could play with it.

It was a cold, but sunny Saturday, so we went for a drive to look at the dogs. We told the girls we were going for a casual drive to get out of the apartment as they asked where we were going. The puppies were older than what we were looking for, so I was not getting my hopes up. I did put a little box with a blanket and the camera in the trunk just in case. When we got closer, we informed them we were just going to look at some dogs and not to get too excited about bringing one home. When we pulled up in the field the breeder asked us to meet her in, he ran to our car. I immediately noticed he was cuter than the picture. When Eric opened the door for Adeline to get out, he tried to jump in the backseat. While we were standing around and talking with the breeder, he came and sat at our feet while the other dogs continued playing around. At that moment, I knew we were not leaving without him. They called him JoJo (YoYo).

She took the dogs back to her house as it was very cold out. Meanwhile, we returned to our car and discussed if he would be coming home with us.  We then asked the girls which puppy they liked if they could pick. Both girls stated the one that looks like a baby Colby. 

We joined her inside to see the dogs again. This is when she shared with us this was the last litter from her older chocolate lab who had great mannerism. The father of the litter, a chocolate mini poodle with apricot around his nose, arrived, so we saw his size and his disposition. She was in no hurry to sell him even though the people who put a deposit on him backed out as she felt he was a good dog for future breeding. After some more conversation and a quick trip to the ATM, the transaction was complete.  Before we left with him, she said her good-byes to her JoJo and sent with us a starter kit containing a leash and collar, and huge bag of dog food.

We were super excited to have him be part of the family and relieved she would care for him during our summer vacation. Our 18 week old 14 lb. puppy settled into the box between the carseats and rested his head on the box's edge as we drove away.

On the way home, we discussed his name. Adeline has several friends named JoJo in her class, so it was not an option for her. Adeline suggested Max, but the Wendel's son has the same name along with some of Emmie's friends. His official name is Jesse James of Funny Paws, so we brainstormed off of this and came to an agreement on Bandit. It fits him perfect as his facial hair characteristics create an outlaw-like mask appearance.

We quickly stopped in the large grocery store to get treats and dog dishes when we got closer to Hofheim. When we were pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed a pet store sign pointing in the direction of the store which was at the end of the road.  I quickly ran into the pet store to find better dog dishes and a few toys. The entire time, Bandit, stayed in his box while the girls petted him.

Meanwhile, Sarah returned my phone call while I was in the pet store. I quickly rambled about how we just acquired a puppy and wondered if she still had her pet cage that she was not using and if we could borrow it. Thankfully she still did have it and would bring it over in the evening since they were planning on joining us for dinner already.

We arrived safely home and the girls took Bandit for his first walk down the street. When they came back, Alex just pulled up, so it gave him the opportunity to meet Bandit along with our other neighbors who were returning home.

In the house, he sniffed around, checking everything out as I quickly picked up stuff off of the floor. The girls offered their furry rug for him to lay on, established his dining area, and Adeline took him out frequently in the backyard.

Sarah and Jorge joined us for dinner and could not believe how calm he was. They were amazed at how quiet he was and that he just laid on the floor while we ate and conversed. After they left, I made room for the cage in our bedroom and prepared his bed with a blanket the breeder gave me.

The girls said good night to Bandit before going to bed and were sad he was not sleeping with them, but we explained why it was better for him to be near us right now. He easily went into the cage and whined a few times when the lights went out, but after a couple of reassurances we were still here, he fell asleep.