I've got a quirky postscript to the sad tale of Jake's untimely demise Sunday night after being struck by a car.
On Tuesday I called Jake's breeder to inform him of what happened and to let him know what an amazing dog he bred. Allen filled me in on what's been going on for the past few years, including some health issues that forced him to scale back on his breeding operation. He kept only his white labs, and sold his chocolates to a breeder in Richfield, Utah, about 2.5 hours south of Salt Lake City. However, he had just spoken a few days earlier with that breeder, named Brent, and Jake's father Montanna and mother Grizzly had just had another litter 7 weeks prior.
I felt a bit odd calling Brent so quickly after Jake had passed, but the opportunity to have his very sister join our family was too much to ignore. Brent had 1 female pup left, but she was already spoken for. However, Brent had been unable to reach the buyer for several weeks. He'd make an all-out blitz to reach her for 24-48 hours, and if he was unsuccessful he'd sell the pup to us.
Fast forward to last night, when we met Brent in a parking lot in Payson and brought home Zoe!
She's a 5 lb. bundle of piss and vinegar (OK, mostly piss...) and we're thrilled to have her in the family and in due time she'll share in many outdoor adventures. Rest in peace my dear beloved Jake, but there's a little bit of you back in our home again.
On Tuesday I called Jake's breeder to inform him of what happened and to let him know what an amazing dog he bred. Allen filled me in on what's been going on for the past few years, including some health issues that forced him to scale back on his breeding operation. He kept only his white labs, and sold his chocolates to a breeder in Richfield, Utah, about 2.5 hours south of Salt Lake City. However, he had just spoken a few days earlier with that breeder, named Brent, and Jake's father Montanna and mother Grizzly had just had another litter 7 weeks prior.
I felt a bit odd calling Brent so quickly after Jake had passed, but the opportunity to have his very sister join our family was too much to ignore. Brent had 1 female pup left, but she was already spoken for. However, Brent had been unable to reach the buyer for several weeks. He'd make an all-out blitz to reach her for 24-48 hours, and if he was unsuccessful he'd sell the pup to us.
Fast forward to last night, when we met Brent in a parking lot in Payson and brought home Zoe!
She's a 5 lb. bundle of piss and vinegar (OK, mostly piss...) and we're thrilled to have her in the family and in due time she'll share in many outdoor adventures. Rest in peace my dear beloved Jake, but there's a little bit of you back in our home again.
