How Mom Found Fido (me!)

Recently, Mom and I watched a great show called Finding Fido on Z living.  It is hosted by my pal Seth Casteel who we met at BarkWorld 2016.  Watching this show made me realize that many of you don’t know my very own Finding Fido story.  So let me tell you the story about how my rents found the perfect dog back in 2008 … ME!

The puppy bug!

Eight years ago, Mom and Dad had just purchased a new home.  Mom immediately started getting the puppy bug since now no one could tell her she couldn’t have a dog like the places she had been renting.  She started out giving hints to Dad like “isn’t that dog so cute”, or “let’s go look at the puppy stuff” while at the pet store to pick up cat litter.  Finally, Dad picked up on the hints, but he didn’t think she was very serious.

After about six months of “nagging”, I mean hinting, he said “ok, maybe we can look into getting a dog.” Next came the big debate on what kind of dog to get. Mom wanted a smaller dog, but Dad didn’t want one so tiny it could fit into a purse.  Then Mom decided she wanted a poodle (I know, crazy, what was she thinking!?!?!).  Dad quickly vetoed that idea.  They were at a standstill until Dad did some research online about different dog breeds and came to the conclusion a West Highland White Terrier (westie) would be the perfect dog for them!

Unfortunately, it is kind of hard to find Westies where we live, so it took a couple more months of searching until Dad saw an ad in the Thrifty Nickel titled “Westie puppies for sale”.  Now, before you start judging, my future rents didn’t know anything about backyard breeders, puppy mills, rescue groups, etc.  They only knew if you wanted a purebred dog you look in the paper.  Dad called the number and found out they had six puppies available – three boys and three girls.  The boys cost $350 and girls were $400. (I personally think I was totally underpriced … hehehe!)  Mom and Dad decided they wanted a boy and set up a visit.

The first time I saw my parents

One Wednesday evening they drove out to my breeder’s house.  My biological dog mom and dad were both family pets and us puppies were in a plastic tub in the kitchen.  Right away, Mom sat down on the floor with all of us and started petting a girl.  Dad had to keep reminding her they were there to pick out a boy.  Mom quickly fell in love with each one she touched and was starting to waver thinking maybe they should get a girl.  Dad said “nope, we are getting a boy.”  Then, one of my brother’s made a b-line over to her and was really showing off.  When she picked him up and put him in her lap I was thinking, well that’s it, they have decided and it isn’t me.  I could tell she was in love.  I was sad because I had a feeling in my tummy that I was supposed to be theirs (or it was gas, not sure to this day).

Then, Dad looked down at me and said “What about this one?”.  He picked me up and commented on how I had nice big eyebrows and seemed to be very smart taking everything in.  He was right, I was the smartest dog in the litter and the most handsome … hehehe.  Mom thought I was cute, but she really liked the one that was trying to impress her.  Luckily, Dad was adamant that this pup (me) was the one and Mom realized he wasn’t going to back down so she agreed to pick the one with the big eyebrows.

They put a red collar on me so they could more easily tell me apart from the rest, then they gave the breeder a deposit and received this receipt.  Now it was time to wait until I was old enough to come home.

I come home

I stayed with my biological mom and my siblings until I was eight weeks old and my Mom and Dad came back to pick me up.  They brought a camera with them, but it messed up, so they were only able to get one photo of my litter and I.  On the car ride home I sat in Mom’s lap the whole way.  I was ready for a new adventure!  When we arrived at my new home there were only a few lights on and it wasn’t very warm.  There was this noisy thing outside called a generator that Dad kept having to run outside and put more fuel in.  I was wondering what I had gotten myself into.  Were my parents some of those people who don’t believe in electricity?  Then Mom explained to me they had just had an epic ice storm and the whole town had lost power and was waiting for it to be restored.

As soon as we got inside, Mom put a new collar on me and a dog shirt that said “It’s a Boy” to keep me warm.  This was the first time I had ever wore clothes.  She told me my name was Preston Peabody.  I was thinking, “Wow, you really didn’t think out this name thing, did you?”  Preston?  How about Caesar or Brutus?  At least they didn’t call me Fabio or Elvis … hehehe.

And the rest is history

Thank goodness they were patient with me.  It took me a while to learn things like going outside to potty, only bad dogs mark and bark, don’t get my head stuck in the puppy gate, don’t chew up the puppy pads, don’t chew on power cords, and that I needed to start listening to them when they say leave it.  Regardless, I think they realized they made an excellent choice by picking the pup with the big eyebrows.

Finding Fido TV show

Do you like to watch shows that just make you smile the whole time?  Well, Finding Fido is one of those great feel-good TV shows.  Watching Finding Fido brings me back to when I was just a puppy and coming home for the first time.  Seth, the host, acts as a matchmaker between a family wanting to adopt and a homeless dog.  He sits down with the family and analyzes their needs and their lifestyle and then introduces them to three dogs.  At the end of the show, the family picks their new furry family member.    Seth promotes smart adoption by finding the perfect fit between humans and animals. New episodes air every Tuesday evening at 9 pm but they replay the previous one throughout the week on Z Living.  This network is dedicated to telling compelling stories that motivate you to live a happier and healthier life … on your own terms.  Z Living is broadcast to over 40 million homes in the U.S.  To find out how to watch it  on your TV provider, go to Where to Watch (http://www.zliving.com/shows/where-to-watch).

This week’s episode

Z Living told me this show will focus on Chris and Kali that are looking for a smaller dog who will be a perfect companion for their young daughter Brooklyn and also have the energy and right temperament to help the family stay active, while also keeping up with their fast-paced city lifestyle.   Remember this airs Tuesday 2/14 at 9 pm.

I will be live tweeting on Twitter during this week’s show so come over to Twitter and look for the hashtag #FindingFido.  We will be discussing the three dogs and which one we think will be the perfect fit.

Come join in on the fun!

Your Pal,

 

 

 

Disclosure:  I have been compensated by Finding Fido for this post; however, I am sharing my own thoughts. All opinions are my own.