Okay, the family wants a puppy, or maybe the kids want a puppy. But whatever the case, the topic has been presented and is up for discussion. This is an important decision and should not be taken lightly. Birthdays, Holidays, or the latest fad, these are the times that so many puppies enter new families. If a new puppy enters your family as an impulse purchase, then you may be headed for trouble sooner rather than later. Is this an attempt to talk you out of getting that puppy for the family? NO!

This is Brown Sugar (Golden Retriever) and Baby Bear (Collie/Border Collie mix). They are farm dogs that we inherited about a year and a half ago. Both dogs are about 12 years old, and had lived their whole lives on a 380 acre farm in Georgia with no boundaries. When they arrived at our home they understood only a few words. They thought fences were to contain cows, certainly not dogs. They had not ridden in a vehicle more than one time in their lives and had not been to a vet more times than that.