scubanimal

Thank you all, especially for the leads. While I've mentioned how Kona first met with me, what I've not mentioned was his energy after that. Living next door to an elementary school, meant we had 100 small kids in our firont yard each morning. I did not let him out in front during that time until he was about 6 mo old. Of course he saw that that choatic bunch of kids clearly needed his herding guidance, and while fun to watch, we had to curb that immediately as the parents did not see the value. Kona was very high energy in play (3-4 times a day with the ball), we transferred his need to herd kids and animals to sprinklers, eventually he had 'his' sprinklers that he'd wait for then herd when on, fortunately it was set in the front yard so we controlled his opportunities. Never hurt his teeth but I did go through 100s of sprinkler heads through his life. Nice thing was aside from the very satisfied look he had, he would give himself a cooling bath on hot days. Eventually we figured out that following that with a session of ball dried him off. The other side of him was the lap dog, As gentle as you can imagine (very sensitive to my wife's issues) he would crawl up and lay on or next to us for up to hours at a time, He would sleep cuddled next to my wife at night when I traveled to keep her calm. Like I've said an amazing dog. Thank you for all the leads, I will start contacting them. We're not in a rush, but we're also not going to force ourselves to wait. I've read enough folks saying to trust the breeder on picking the pup, I'll try, so I guess its up to me then to describe the type of lifestyle we have. Thank you.

Thank you the responses: My preference comes from my experiences. Kona clearly picked me. I actually was there to get a different pup, but sat with them all for nearly an hour. Kona came over, laid down beside me and did not leave me the entire time. The other pups were typical puppies. He was such an amazing dog, and so much more attached and integrated into our lives compared to previous dogs that I latched on to that 'choosing' as one of the keys. Maybe a breeder would know, but I've not dealt with enough breeders to have any real knowledge or experience. But given the lack of options, its likely I won't have much of a choice. I surprised though, I've only seen one recommendation for a breeder in this thread.

Thank you all for the advice, we were just thinking 2 puppies so that the one was not alone when we were away. 1 would be much easier on everyone. So now I'm looking for a list of recommended breeders in the So Cal area. I see getting on the list early is our best chance at getting to have a chance to let a puppy pick us. Any recommendations ?

Hello all, Our BC recently developed an aggressive cancer and passed quickly, less than 3 weeks from first sign to his passing. We had done a full blood workup (regular thing each year) just 3 months prior and the results showed a very healthy dog, we fully expected Kona to live another 3-5 years. We were extremely blessed to have been part of such a wonderful animals life. Kona was our companion, he was part of nearly everything we did, from getting up in the morning to bedtime. While I've had dogs my entire life, Kona was far more than what most people seem to think of as a dog. Kona was so much a part of our lives we are still having trouble dealing with loss. We have been shocked by the number of neighbors and park friends that have been affected by his passing. I had no idea he touched so many people. Like probably every BC owner I could go on and on with stories of what a wonderful dog he was. One of his best traits was Kona really preferred people. He would forego other animals if any humans were around, he truly was our companion. As fate would have it when Kona passed we were babysitting our kids dogs and then later another BC and we realize we probably should not wait as long as we have in the past to start over. Kona's parents were both working dogs on a farm in northern Calif, and even though he did not herd livestock he had several jobs, we loved his intelligence, energy and loving ways. He was the most gentle 60lb lap dog I've ever seen. We have a large yard and pretty much are home bodies. While Kona can never be replaced, my wife and I would like to find a couple BC puppies. We are thinking that we should get 2 this time. Last time I had a golden to help teach and entertain when we are not there. But starting with 2 puppies at the same time will be a new experience for us, any advice is very welcomed. I would like to find a breeder that will allow us to meet the puppies before we buy, as I would prefer to have the puppy chose us, rather than the other way. Kona immediately and very definitely chose me and it was immediately apparent our bond was natural and deep. I would appreciate any recommendations. Thank you.