Oh no you didn't miss any photos. Now I have to confess that I've never mastered the art of posting photos here. I have printed out the instructions but somewhere I mess up. It's a shame we just can't cut and paste.

But here's the background on our puppy. We've had 6 dogs in 32 years and our last pet died 2 years ago. We debated when we'd get another dog but the biggest debate was on what breed to get. We always had big dogs - a German Shepherd, a black Lab and then Rotties who turned out to be the gentlest and easy going of them all. They were really just big lugs.

Now that we're both older and I have arthritis and I'm heading for knee replacement soon we knew we wanted a smaller dog and one that didn't shed as much. DH still wanted a dog that looked like a dog rather than an accessory. We tried to get a Lagotto Romagnolo but they're not that common here and therefore extraordinarily expensive and then we thought of a Portuguese Water dog - until they became the White House dog and their prices shot up.

Then a local breeder that my DH had been in contact with called to tell him that she had 3 lab puppies left. Labs were not my first choice- they are heavy shedders year round and they love to chew. Our vet had told us that it's only the first 2 years that are tough- then they're great. We had one before and I knew he was right.

So we compromised - sort of - I knew how much my DH wanted a dog, I could even say that he needed one and I knew that if we went to see the puppies we would bring one or two home. Unfortunately the yellow lab that I wanted had already been promised so we selected one of the 2 black females. This breeder raises English Labradors, they tend to be smaller than the traditional American lab. Her mother was 55 pounds and her father around 70. Her name is Maggie, but every now and then I hear my DH talking to her and calling her Margaret. And the compromise is that we only bought 1! We both prefer having 2 dogs since I think they're happier with another canine companion. So we might get another one in the summer when the breeder has another litter.

That's why I got a Roomba for Christmas!

Have you posted photos of your puppy?

Maire

I did and I'll be more than happy to either post them for you, send you the HTML code so you can paste them into your own thread or even walk you through the process so you can learn. It's very simple once you get the hang of it.

Here's my email address, just let me know which you prefer to do. lukkiirish@gmail.com

That is such a great story and I love the name Maggie. She may not have been what you wanted, but I think you will really enjoy having her. Originally, I wanted another Golden Retriever but was not thrilled about taking on the grooming needs. When Golddust announced her Lab Jack I fell in love with the pictures and read up on them. Temperment wise, Labs are very similar to Golden's and I couldn't be more thrilled with our choice. I just can't get over how smart they are. I prefer to have our pets in pairs as well but could never handle two, especially when walking them! LOL

We got our girl over Labor Day weekend and my DH was the one who compromised. I've wanted a dog for years but my husband was perfectly content without one. Then one day we had to get cat food and there was a woman shopping with her new puppy, a yellow lab and DH was smitten. We tried to adopt from a rescue but ran into some frustrations. Then one day I saw an ad online from someone who lived in our area. They had 11 yellow lab puppies, males and females. My husband said I should call, you know, just to inquire and they still had several left. The lady offered let us see them that night and we were there within the hour. We ended up leaving with Ellie and I like to think she picked us. She was the only one who greeted us at the door and then she stayed close to us the whole time we were there. I've posted the link from when I announced her below. There are pictures in both the beginning and end of the thread. I also posted pictures more recently in Golddust's post about her chocolate lab, Jack.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/decor/con1218514631788.html

I'll try to get another couple of pics over the weekend. She is growing like a weed and at 45 lbs still thinks of herself as a lap dog. I believe she is an American Lab as well.

Get your pictures ready! I can't wait to see her!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ellie (short for Eloise)