Our Australian Shepherds were our first babies. Losing them left a big hole in our hearts. It’s been two years since the last one passed and a few months ago, we finally felt ready for a new puppy. And now he’s here!

Tigger the Aussie

Meet Tigger, an 11-week-old red merle Australian Shepherd. We named him that because of the tiger stripes on his face. He was originally purchased from a breeder, but his owner found out she was going to need back and brain surgery and would not be able to care for a rambunctious puppy. Plus they lived in a second floor apartment. She had pee-pad trained him but that wasn’t going to work forever. And Aussies are high energy and need lots of walks and attention. You really need to know what you’re getting into when adopting an Aussie! They are very smart and most have a strong herding instinct. They need to be kept busy or they will find something to keep them busy.

We really wanted to find a pup in need and not go with a breeder. I did contact a couple but just didn’t have a good feeling about it. I also had PetFinder alerts set up but had no luck! Every time I applied for a dog, the rescue places didn’t even reply. I would apply through PetFinder, the rescue website, and send a Facebook message, with no response. It was so frustrating. So we kept just “putting it out there” and letting people know we were looking to adopt. We felt that the right one would find us when the time was right.

A friend of mine was the one who found him and was planning on getting him. She sent me his pic and I told her if she didn’t get him then please let me. When she texted me that she was supposed to go see him that day, but I could go instead, I jumped at the chance. And just like that, our dog found us.

We are so happy to give him a new home where he will be totally spoiled and get to run and play at the beach every day. He is everything we hoped for. Our son was so excited when he came home from school and found a puppy surprise!

Tigger has really made himself at home over the last few days. I forgot how much work a little puppy is, and he’s the youngest we’ve ever had. The last puppy we got was 5 months old. Lots of constant training and the challenge of re-training him to potty outside and not on the pads. We’ve been going for walks, walks, and more walks. And, because I love doing the costume thing, I just had to get some pics with him while wearing a Cruella cosplay.

I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of this guy soon! 🙂