Hello, everyone!

My name is Elissa and I’m glad to find a community that looks welcoming to new members! I’ll just jump right in with some puppy spam as well as background on myself and my (to be) pup.

I’m a former dog trainer—very active with my husband—who was looking for a new pup to add to our family. My previous agility partner, Misty, is now 10 years old and has luxating patellas, so I couldn’t run with her in good faith. She stills is always up for a walk and gets walked twice daily—sometimes with a bonus walk thrown in. But, we wanted a dog who could keep up with us on our miles-long runs/walks/hiking adventures. We’ve spent the past year+ planning and prepping for a puppy and have everything we need, save for a collar/harness/leash since that’d be puppy specific.

Temperament was very important to us, so we had several pups we’d considered but ultimately decided they wouldn’t work for us. Enter in this puppy. He’s from a rescue litter in which the mom was owner surrendered to a vet clinic. She had her puppies shortly after rescue and all pups are happy healthy and up to date on shots. They turned 9 weeks old yesterday. My friend, the rescuer, posted about them being ready for adoption...

So I thought why not. I called and asked about temperament. This pup, who is currently named Kai, sounded like he’d match us and our needs pretty well. We did a meet-and-greet this past Sunday and introduced him to everyone. Very surprised when Misty initiated play as she normally doesn’t play with other dogs. (She’s more mellow and prefers to greet and co-walk or explore.) Kai did great with a few differing startle tests—great recovery and no dramatic responses. He quickly figured out what treats were and did not mug my hand at all. Instead, he realized that sitting calmly got him what he wanted within two repetitions.

She described him further, saying he’s definitely the more mellow and person-oriented pup in the litter. Which we did see reflected.

Anyway, he comes home for a trial stay this weekend and we can’t be more excited! I do have a question for those who made it through my long-winded intro… Plus pictures!

Any guesses as to how his coat color might change as he grows?