BELLA BECOMES A HUSKER!

Bella and her sisters at four weeks of age.

When we lost Ruby from our pack, we knew that we had to fill that void as quickly as possible. Janine and I were both lost without the canine element in our family. We immediately began to do some research and ended-up with the following breed short list: a Bernese Mountain Dog, Swiss Mountain Dog or another Golden Retriever. We decided to go back to a Golden as Ruby had been a wonderful dog (why fix what's not broken!) and Goldens don't reach the proportions of the other two dogs (we decided a 125-pound Berner or Swissy would be a bit too much for our 1000 square foot abode!).

Bella at around six weeks of age.

We began researching breeders and soon decided we would do something a bit different - we would go with the English Golden Retriever. We had met one in our neighborhood (Larry) - and were taken aback by his handsomeness! In our research, we also found lots of information about how the US Golden had been marred by poor breeding. Things like aggressiveness had begun to show-up in a breed that was renowned for its amiable nature. Genetic defects and disease have also become more prevalent in the US Golden. (That is not to say there are not wonderful US Goldens available, but thorough investigation is needed to ensure you find a reputable breeder.) Like so many dog breeds, when they become popular there are unscrupulous folks out there that sacrifice quality for quantity. In doing so, they harm the breed. (An interesting trend is that many breeders that are in it for the cash have turned from breeding Golden Retrievers to "Golden Doodles" as their popularity has surged!)

Bella arrives in Houston, eager to get out of her traveling confines.

English Goldens are still relatively new to the US. They are not well-known to the general public, there are few breeders and they command a higher price. As a result, there has been less non-selective breeding - although that is probably going to change as more people discover them. It soon became evident, as is the case in every breed, there are breeders that have stellar reputations and there are those who are best avoided. With the internet, it was easy to find pros and cons about various breeders.

Free from her crate, Bella enjoys hugs from her new pack leader.

We looked at three different breeders. One in Chicago, one in Nebraska and one in California. We felt that all three had great dogs and that all three really cared about their animals. Two of the three had us fill out an extensive adoption application, which included having to supply neighbor references. That was great! One breeder was reluctant to sell us a dog because we didn't have a fenced in yard (I appreciate that!). I love the fact that they care so much about their dogs that they are going to do all in their power to make sure they go to good homes. We ended up going with the breeder in California because we liked the look of her dogs (they were also more affordable than some - some breeders sell the English Goldens for up to $4000!!! YIKES!).

Bella slumbers most of the trip from Texas to Nebraska.

We did not have the time to drive out and pick up our new pack member, but the breeder provided shipping with Continental Airlines (the BEST airline to use to ship puppies!). I have worked with the airlines and live animals for many years (shipping live fish) and know how incompetent they can be! I have seen them misplace shipments of live marine fish and was not about to take a chance in having them misplace our dog (Continental is less likely to do this than other airlines as they have a special service for shipping pets). These shipping errors most often occur when there is a connection. Our new puppy would have to be shipped from Sacramento to Houston, Houston to Omaha. To avoid the possible problems associated with a connection, we decided to go pick the new pup up in Houston (this also gave us an excuse to visit family in the area!).

Still snoozing...

Everything went better than we even expected. Bella came in on time. She was beautiful and eager to get out of her temporary den. She was a great traveler, sleeping most of the 14-hours back to her new home.

Bella lounges in the sun during a brief break on her way to Nebraska.