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Back in happier times, I placed a deposit down for a working kelpie puppy from a really nice litter (born on Feb 1). The breeder is in Nevada--about a 2.5 hour drive from my home, and she's been posting videos and pictures on FB and we've agreed on which pup is mine and all that. I've never purchased a puppy before; all my animals have been rescues. But at this point, dogs of the breeds and mixes that work for me are not available in rescue anymore, and I've missed my own kelpie dreadfully since he passed 2 years ago. I've been doing all the research about puppy socialization and training (the trainer uses a method called puppy culture, which produces very emotionally resilient, people-oriented dogs).
Well, a lot has happened since the pups were born, let alone planned and conceived. So the pup will be ready to pick up on April 5. The logistics of driving out to Nevada and doing a pick up have become infinitely more complex and stress laden. I'm coordinating with another person who lives in northern CA and also has a pup from this litter, and just one of us will likely do the pickup and the other will meet that person halfway and pick theirs up, but I'm still feeling anxious about whether or not picking up an animal is an "essential errand" (animal care is considered essential, so it may be within the letter, but is it inside the spirit of the order). I think there is a way to do this that will make the risk of exposure in either direction very minimal--less than a trip to the grocery store, and waiting a month or two--or longer--to pick up the pup will create a lot of issues too.
I also have a cousin in Carson city who wants me to visit and bring puppy. This would have been enough of an issue without Covid-19, because I don't want to expose the pup to situations I don't have control of while he's still in his sensitive period, but with possibly two puppies (one of whom won't be mine) and the whole "limit contact with people outside your own household" order that is in place in CA (but not in Nevada at this point), it's impossible. I don't know if she will understand this, since her own state's directives are much lighter than CA (simply limiting meetings to fewer than 10 people), and there are only a few reported cases so far in her own county.
I also have no idea how to properly socialize the pup from weeks 9-12 of age (the end of his open socialization window) when there is no chance of puppy parties or having neighbor kids over, and carefully taking him to agility class to experience that environment and so on, as I originally planned.
So I'm stressed about something I was so looking forward to! And I feel silly and guilty for stressing about this when I've been really fortunate in this whole catastrophe--being able to work from home, myself and my family healthy so far, and living in a state and city where the earlier shelter in place orders appear to be having a beneficial effect!
Well, a lot has happened since the pups were born, let alone planned and conceived. So the pup will be ready to pick up on April 5. The logistics of driving out to Nevada and doing a pick up have become infinitely more complex and stress laden. I'm coordinating with another person who lives in northern CA and also has a pup from this litter, and just one of us will likely do the pickup and the other will meet that person halfway and pick theirs up, but I'm still feeling anxious about whether or not picking up an animal is an "essential errand" (animal care is considered essential, so it may be within the letter, but is it inside the spirit of the order). I think there is a way to do this that will make the risk of exposure in either direction very minimal--less than a trip to the grocery store, and waiting a month or two--or longer--to pick up the pup will create a lot of issues too.
I also have a cousin in Carson city who wants me to visit and bring puppy. This would have been enough of an issue without Covid-19, because I don't want to expose the pup to situations I don't have control of while he's still in his sensitive period, but with possibly two puppies (one of whom won't be mine) and the whole "limit contact with people outside your own household" order that is in place in CA (but not in Nevada at this point), it's impossible. I don't know if she will understand this, since her own state's directives are much lighter than CA (simply limiting meetings to fewer than 10 people), and there are only a few reported cases so far in her own county.
I also have no idea how to properly socialize the pup from weeks 9-12 of age (the end of his open socialization window) when there is no chance of puppy parties or having neighbor kids over, and carefully taking him to agility class to experience that environment and so on, as I originally planned.
So I'm stressed about something I was so looking forward to! And I feel silly and guilty for stressing about this when I've been really fortunate in this whole catastrophe--being able to work from home, myself and my family healthy so far, and living in a state and city where the earlier shelter in place orders appear to be having a beneficial effect!
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