Pets

Yep......I have them. I have two cats. For awhile now.......they have been the be all and end all of the pet kingdom in my house. Who needs more than two pets? This has always been my philosophy.

Well.....deep down inside me..........way down......I have wanted a dog. I have always told my mother.......who is not a dog fan.......that I was going to get a St. Bernard. Now granted, I would tell her this in the midst of some heated discussion just to get her goat.....send her completely over the edge with images of this large drooling animal bounding down my hallway to affectionately knock her down and lick her face. Oh yeah........that would pretty much push her to the brink. My mother is only 5 feet tall so she could actually dance nose-to-nose with a St. Bernard if he were standing on his back legs.

In all seriousness...this year I have decided that this will be my "year of the dog". I have always been a fan of Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Don't ask me where I first discovered my interest in this breed but I am totally captivated by them. Their body frames are similar to Labrador Retrievers but Chessies are a bit more sculptured in their appearance. These are water dogs. They love to swim and their coats are suited for being in the water. Not an avid or good swimmer myself..........maybe that is why I am so attracted to this breed.

After years of reading about the breed, TC and I are going to visit a breeder about an hours drive away this weekend. This breeder has over 17 years experience with breeding and showing these dogs so I am very excited about what I can learn from her. If all goes well and I like what I see, I could have a pup of my own in the Spring!

This whole dog adventure is going to leave my cats in a state of bewilderment. I can imagine them sneaking by the crate every night just to investigate this new little "being". Since my oldest cat is the "Alpha" over every four legged species that walks into my house..........I will have to take extra care in controlling him so I don't end up with a wimpy dog! Yes......this cat wields that much power.

So I am hopeful that my weekend will yield outstanding information about a breed I have read so much about in the last 5 years. I hate to say that my life is going to the dogs but it appears that it will be in 2007!