The Pick

For the first 2 weeks which we had the puppies I honestly didn't have a favorite; I'd think I did, then change my mind the next day. I loved all of their markings; Mimic's matching his Mum's, Beast matching his Dad's and Gambit's unique spot in the middle of his neck. I loved the individuality each of them was starting to show; Beast liked toys, Gambit liked people and Mimic liked dogs and games of any sort.

I was pretty certain Clive would pick Beast, in fact everybody I spoke to was, he is the spitting image of Snooky. Rubbing him in the operating theatre a matter of minutes old I remember looking at all that Black and saying to myself 'not this one, we can't lose this one, it's Snooky's son, it's Clive's puppy', but as he started to cry and had the strength to pull himself (forceps and all) out of grasp and nearly to the floor - I thought 'wow, what a trooper'...as well as 'stupid puppy!'

I tried to force myself off Beast, thinking that I had no chance and spent my time pondering over the other 2, Gambit was becoming the biggest and strongest but was the last to walk and open his eyes, Mimic remained the smallest, but doubled his own weight first and was the best mover.

But as the pups became more mobile, Beast kept grabbing my attention; he would be the first to raise his head when he heard my voice, he'd greet me with a tail wag/bum wiggle to match his Mum's (well, nearly), I'd sit down when they were playing and start to type an email or text and look down and there he'd be looking up at me from down below - solid eye contact. When I sat on the floor he didn't want to curl up on my lap like the others, he wanted to crawl up my chest to give me chin kisses and then relax into my arms for a sleep. His siblings would be in bed, he'd be watching me through the stairgate when I went to make a cup of tea. The other boys were both attentive and loving and full of cuddles but Beast was so intense. When I told Mum, she told me not to pin my hopes on him, I told her I wasn't, HE was the one pinning his hopes on ME!

When she saw us the next day, as much as she wanted to deny it (as she still believed Clive would want him), there was something about the way he responded to me being around and how he looked at me.

And then to top it all off, HEX picked him! She started a game with him one morning and the gambled around the whelping room, I managed to catch some on video (below), he wasn't interested in her Milk, he wanted her and she was treating him as a little dog, a companion.

I text Clive to let him know that I was becoming attached to 'a' puppy and that I hoped it wouldn't be long before he picked, he came round a couple of days later, unbeknownst to me it was to make his pick out of the 2 he was drawn to... but he left drawn between all 3 and unable to decide, he returned a couple of days after that to make his final, final pick.

I had felt sick all weekend and was wondering if he picked Beast would I be able to say something?And if I couldn't bring myself to, how heartbroken would I be? I still thought Gambit was the most active and playful puppy so he'd have to be my 2nd choice, and Mimic was such a sweety; a confident young man with great responses, just slightly overshadowed by his crazy siblings, but there was just something about Beast and he'd worked so hard to let me know that we could have something special.

I watched as Clive entered the whelping room and all of the puppies gathered eagerly around his feet 'pick me, pick me' this yipped and yapped, dancing round his ankles, Beastie snuck around behind Clives feet 'stay there I thought, out of sight, out of mind' and then Clive threw me a complete curve ball... he asked me to pick up the one I wanted, I had to check I'd heard right, he confirmed and I dove straight round behind him to give my puppy the biggest hug. I couldn't believe he had handed over first pick, I could feel myself welling up but held it together to allow him to pick. We all left Clive alone to pick his special boy and he came out holding Gambit - definitely the right choice for Clive, such a strong willed pup, full of mischief.

Clive later explained that once he knew I had a favourite and that he found them all equally appealing for different reasons, he felt it unfair that he might pick the dog that I wanted, so he wanted that dog out the equation to make his decision easier, and me happy. I tell you, there are not many people out there as selfless and kind - these dogs will play a huge part in our lives, our worlds revolve around them and Clive let me pick mine first. Words cannot express how grateful I am for that gift.

On the Monday, Anita came to visit Mimic and it was love, very much on both parts. He sat in her lap, licking her fingers and giving her his best 'look'. I am so happy that I have the peace of mind that my puppies will go to homes that will love them first and foremost at pets, but also give them an enriched life with great walks, lovely furry friends, mental stimulation and the fantastic benefits of life as an agility dog.

All the puppies have been re-named with their new home names, including Beast who's new home, is actually already his home, right here.

Beast is now my Voodoo

Gambit is now Clive's Hoody

Mimic is now Anita's Dean

and Rogue is now Garry's Tango