One very special puppy and the gift of imperfection.

Are Looks Everything?

It’s a superficial world. Our everyday lives are bombarded with judgements and comparisons. Our worth is  measured by completely extraneous variables such as the dress size that we squeeze into and the type of car we drive. Over the past few years, I have become increasingly concerned that our dogs and puppies are becoming sucked into this same insane vortex of superficiality. We expect perfection. We demand perfection. We want that perfect puppy.  Sorry for the spoiler alert. There is no such thing!

Perfection is Elusive.

Why are you interested in purchasing a puppy? No. Really! Please consider this question. If the answer to this question is to have a companion to love and cherish, then does it really matter, how tight the curl or the colour of the puppy’s nose?

 

It is my responsibility as a dog breeder, for every puppy bred by Burrinjuck Labradoodles to enjoy a magnificent life in a loving home. For this reason, I hesitate to sell a puppy to somebody who is merely tolerating the prospect of owning a puppy. I want EVERY family to be, beyond excited at the opportunity of bringing a new life into their home. 

Special Needs

Recently a puppy was born with special needs. He had a cleft lip. By two days of age, he was fading fast. His Mum, Kakaua rejected him and left him to die in the corner of the whelping box.  I would usually let nature takes it course however sometimes angels intervene. This day, the angel’s name was Jaimee.  Jaimee pet-sits for us when we go away. And this puppy was not going to die on her watch!!

Jaimee is the parent of a one year old child who has been on a feeding tube for many months of his life. I had been given a feeding tube by my vet for any emergency but had been reluctant to take it out of its packaging as it requires a fair amount of skill to measure and insert correctly. 

Jaimee took it upon herself to tube feed this little guy every 3 hours, both during the day and through the night and also helped him to toilet before and after every feed. (the mother dog would normally stimulate this with her tongue).                                    

Serendipity at work #1. NEVER GIVE UP.

 

 

The Gift or the Giver

Prior to finding out this puppy had special needs, we had advertised a black, medium, male puppy for sale on our facebook page and web site. We are currently in an economic climate, where the demand for puppies has greatly reduced and black is the least popular colour. Everybody seems to want a small-medium, chocolate, girl with a fleece coat. I had been through the waitlist of 35 families and the black male was still available. 

When the puppy was first diagnosed with the cleft lip, I had conflicting emotions. The burning concern was “even if this puppy survives how was I going to find him a wonderful home”.  And then the enquiry email arrived in my inbox. A beautiful family had been looking for a puppy for many months and they thought the black puppy was exactly the puppy they had been searching for.  Even when told that the puppy had a cleft lip, they wanted him even more. They came to visit him on his one week milestone birthday and instantly fell in love. 

I am not sure how the next chapter in this story will unfold. There is an air of wonderment however, that God is using this puppy to gift love for this family.  At the same time this family are besotted with this puppy with special needs and are showering him with love in abundance.

 

Isn't that what dog ownership is really about - loving an imperfect being perfectly.