On May 30th, we left the house at 5:30 am. Why so early you ask? It is a 12 hour drive to Westville. A few weeks earlier Tiffany received a phone call asking if she wanted to co-own a retired champion. It seems he would do better in a home without other dogs. She jumped at the chance and we planned to go as soon as she could arrange some time off. She drove here after work on Thursday (4 hours). We left really early and started the really long drive. We stopped in Portales and bought peanuts and stopped in Clovis so she could say hi to a friend. The only other time we stopped except for gas was in Amarillo to eat. It was raining really hard most of the way so it took way longer than we expected. We didn't get there until 10:00. We spent the night, got up early and went to the kennel to meet this very handsome young man. There was an immediate reaction to Tiffany. They were both smitten. The drive back didn't take quite as long and it was still light out when we got here. We were able to introduce the dogs to each other briefly before falling into bed.
We were exhausted! The trip is 744 miles each way. We drove a total of 1488 miles in two days. Then Tiffany added another 229 miles each way from her house. So, she went a grand total of 1946 miles just for a dog! Are we crazy? Maybe. Is it worth it? Absolutely! I won't get into the horrors of puppy mills and the consequences of purchasing pet store puppies. However, before you get a dog, you should at least do as much research as you would when buying a car. I prefer pure bred dogs. I like knowing what they are going to look like, how big they will be and if they will have good temperament. This is where the research comes into play. You need to find a breeder that produces healthy dogs that match what you expect. You probably wouldn't "settle" for a mini van if you really wanted a red convertible. You shouldn't settle for a dog either. Sometimes, to get what you want, you have to wait for a while. It took 10 weeks for me to get my Jeep from the factory. There was about a month of research before that. I love it. It is perfect for me. I waited about 6 months for Cooper. He is perfect for me, too. Tiffany's new dog, Hunter, is perfect for her. Sometimes peace of mind comes in the form of a good breeder.
Hunter didn't seem to mind the long trip with people he had just met. He took it in stride as a new adventure. 
There was so much water everywhere. We were lucky we didn't get stranded by flooding. They even have a road named for the water!