And now...the good news!

Since last July, Suk and I have been discussing mundane things like breeds, gender, color and house-training. In August, I wrote in my blog about going to visit a breeder in Nagoya. We had been hoping to get a dog from her when the time came, but the time came and she seems to have fallen off the face of the earth.

As our moving date grows near, our search for a reputable breeder has become more serious. We were discussing our schedule for this year and about when would be the best time to introduce a new puppy into our lives.

Turns out that April 1 will be the best time. It is one week after we move, so I will have to work hard to organize the house before we bring him home.

Yesterday, after arguing a bit, as usual, we did our regular internet search to see if any pups had been put up for sale lately. We had decided to try for a breeder in our same prefecture, so that we could actually go visit the breeder and the pups without having access to a car.

We found what we were looking for and after some emails were sent back and forth between us and the breeders, they invited us over to come and see the puppies. There were three left, and based on the photos from the net, we couldn't decide which one we wanted. They told us if we wait too long, the puppies will be sold to other people. So, we took the train up to their house late last night.

We felt kind of nervous on our way there, but I had prepared the cash just in case we would decide to buy on the spot. All three of the puppies were boys, so whether we would get a boy or a girl seemed irrelevant now. We were getting a boy, for sure.

When we arrived at the place, it was quite dark and hard to see, but it was your typical Japanese family-owned business - very messy. They took us to a small building just off the main house where guests can come and look at the puppies, and this room was clean and cozy. They brought in the three little guys and we all sat on the floor playing with them for a while.

It was so hard to decide because they were all very playful and healthy-looking, but somehow I liked the one that had the most white on his face. He has a small black mark, shaped like an eyebrow, over his right eye, and that is what did it for me. He seemed to take a liking to me as well, and once that was decided, we paid the money in full.

Since we cannot keep pets at our current place, even in secret because the apartment manager lives just below us, we asked the breeders to keep him until April 1. On April 1, we will go and pick him and bring him back to his new home.

We have already chosen a name for him, and the breeder is going to call him that so he gets used to it. Also, they want us to go and visit him sometimes, so we can play with him and get him more used to us. Meanwhile, she is going to keep us up to date with emails and photos about him.

This is a very exciting endeavor for me and in many ways, it's a dream come true. I hope, but I cannot expect, that it will help Suk and I to not fight like cats and dogs anymore. Maybe it will bring some peace to our household - something else to focus our attention on rather than each other's annoying habits and negative traits. I can just hope for that.

Introducing...Max!