A Shaggy Dog Story
That very Spring morning it was sunny, bright and crisp. I faltered at the point of leaving the house with Zoe, our gentle retired Greyhound, wondering if I should have put her coat on after all. Had my neighbour not appeared in that instant with Patch, her Jack Russell, straining at the lead, I might have turned back into the house but Horsell Common beckoned.
Horsell Common is a very popular venue for walking dogs in our area. I think over the years I have met every breed of dog known to man from Chinese Cresteds to Leonbergers. That particular morning I came across a dog I had never met before. She was stunning! A medium sized curly haired black dog with what I can only describe as 'personality'! I struck up a conversation with her owner and within seconds of returning home I was Googling 'Cockapoo'.
Breeders Online became the most visited website in our house for the next few months. I contacted a few local breeders but either they were not planning litters or I did not get a good feeling about the answers I was given to questions asked. Looking further afield (I was now a woman on a mission!), I came across Jukee Doodles in Lincolnshire, and within fifteen minutes an appointment had been made to go and view their set-up.
On 18th August 2009 the whole family descended upon Jukee Doodles. We seemed to be there for ages talking about Cockapoos and their care. Julia and Stephen really gave us quality time and by the end of our visit we had selected our puppy from Pearl's litter. We had wanted a blonde boy and there were just two to choose between. We chose the darker of the two, a lovely deep apricot boy.
Horsell Common is a very popular venue for walking dogs in our area. I think over the years I have met every breed of dog known to man from Chinese Cresteds to Leonbergers. That particular morning I came across a dog I had never met before. She was stunning! A medium sized curly haired black dog with what I can only describe as 'personality'! I struck up a conversation with her owner and within seconds of returning home I was Googling 'Cockapoo'.
Breeders Online became the most visited website in our house for the next few months. I contacted a few local breeders but either they were not planning litters or I did not get a good feeling about the answers I was given to questions asked. Looking further afield (I was now a woman on a mission!), I came across Jukee Doodles in Lincolnshire, and within fifteen minutes an appointment had been made to go and view their set-up.
On 18th August 2009 the whole family descended upon Jukee Doodles. We seemed to be there for ages talking about Cockapoos and their care. Julia and Stephen really gave us quality time and by the end of our visit we had selected our puppy from Pearl's litter. We had wanted a blonde boy and there were just two to choose between. We chose the darker of the two, a lovely deep apricot boy.
Pearl with her litter
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Rufus, on the left, with his brother on selection day.
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Rufus at 4 weeks old.
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As a family we had come up with a shortlist of names and Merlin was top of the list........but somehow this little boy was not a Merlin. It was half an hour into our 3 hour journey home that the name Rufus leapt into my head. Perfect!
At 6am on 16th September I set out from home on my own to pick up our gorgeous boy. The children were at school and Gareth was working .......but there was no way I was going to leave Rufus a day later than 8 weeks old before bringing him home. I have to say, it wasn't the most relaxing journey back. I put Rufus in a small puppy crate in the back of our VW minibus and from the moment we left the breeders until the moment we pulled up on the drive at home .....he barked! Three hours of barking! The only time he paused was when he was pooping! Rufus had arrived.
At 6am on 16th September I set out from home on my own to pick up our gorgeous boy. The children were at school and Gareth was working .......but there was no way I was going to leave Rufus a day later than 8 weeks old before bringing him home. I have to say, it wasn't the most relaxing journey back. I put Rufus in a small puppy crate in the back of our VW minibus and from the moment we left the breeders until the moment we pulled up on the drive at home .....he barked! Three hours of barking! The only time he paused was when he was pooping! Rufus had arrived.
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In June 2011, just as Rufus turned two years old, we put a deposit down with Jukee Doodles for a second Cockapoo. Given the popularity of JD's pups we wanted to get in high on the list for a Spring/Summer 2012 puppy. I believe we were second on the list and delighted that we really would have the choice of pretty much any puppy we wanted. Towards the end of July Jukee Doodles posted photographs of the remaining available puppies on their website. The top photograph was of a stunning black and white boy. 'Bumble' was going to be a JD "keeper" as they loved everything about this puppy - colour and character and as a result he had not been out for the selection days. At the last minute JD decided to release him for sale. I was on the phone immediately. We met Basil (Bumble) on the way up to our holiday in the Lake District at 9 weeks old and collected him on our way home at 10 weeks old!
Basil has a special solo cuddle with mummy Molly
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Basil (top right) with his litter mates
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The day we met Basil
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For two and a half days Rufus refused to acknowledge Basil at all. Basil was hysterical. He tried everything, including ridiculous dances, to get Rufus to play (he still does that dance to this day!). It finally worked and now the boys are inseparable. Elderly Zoe Greyhound now has her own space in the house where she can retire gracefully without puppies constantly hanging onto her ears!
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Photographs of Pearl and pups, Molly and pups and Molly's pups reproduced with kind permission from Jukee Doodles.