Our breeder Lenore sent me this photo of Garnett, hopefully, the mother of Zinnia-to-be our Yellow Lab puppy we hope to bring home to the farm. If she is born, she will be a family dog and a therapy dog.

I had to say I felt for Garnett when I saw this photo, Lenore says she is big even by Lab standards. I have the sense though, that the sweet girl we want might be in there somewhere.

Lenore says she thinks Garnett will give birth in six days. The due date is the 19th – 20th, but her guess is the 19th. “She big,” she said. Sounds like Thursday or Friday.

So this is getting real. I have a very clear picture in my mind of the dog that I want, I’ve conveyed that to Lenore and she will evaluate her puppies. She is very honest and direct, and if she doesn’t have a puppy for me, she’ll let me know.

But I have a good feeling about it. I want a smaller, sweet and very calm dog. For therapy and hospice work, she needs to be very obedient, very trusting and affectionate, and hard to rattle.

This is why I turned to a professional, award-winning breeder. That is the only way I can feel 100 percent confident about the dog, her temperament and health. For therapy work in my mind, anything else is a bit of a crapshoot.

It doesn’t matter is Bud is distractable and easily aroused, it doesn’t affect his life on the farm. It means he is disqualified in my mind for therapy work. Good breeders like Lenore bread for health and temperament, they seek to promote the best qualities and traits in dogs.

There are plenty of wonderful rescue and shelter dogs, but I can’t find out enough about their whole life, health, breeding, and temperament since so much of it is usually not known. This is why I need a find breeder and am prepared to spend some money – $2,500.

For Lenore, of Stonewall Farms Labradors, breeding is a passion, not a business, I can feel it, see it. I see breeders as partners and companions in this process, I like to talk to them about the dog I need and how to train it in the best possible way.

I need to know this dog can be grabbed, stepped, screamed at, kissed on the nose by children, even hit by dementia patients without responding aggressively.

I need a dog who can be trained to drop down on command, sit when told, focus on individual people in need, stay away from their food.

There can be no mistakes, not confusion. Red was like that, I know there will not be another Red, and I don’t want that,  but there will hopefully be a dog as well behaved, focused and intuitive.

I know the health and history of the mother, the father, and the line going back a good long way. As much as is possible, I know what I am getting. That can make all of the difference.

I believe when people get a dog, they should focus on the dog they want, not the dog other people tell them to want. And then do the leg and homework to find the right one. There are millions of dogs out there – breeders, shelters, rescue groups – there is the right dog for everyone, rich or poor, old or young, with big fences or small.

It is outrageous to label rescue groups, shelters or breeders with the same broad brush. Some are great and trustworthy, some or not. It’s up to me to make a good choice.

The best dog for you for your dog is the dog you want. If you get the dog you want, it will work out. I have little use for the people who say they would never pay to get a dog. If they pay for a refrigerator or TV, why not an animal who will live with them for years?

This is why I have little time and patience for people who tell me there is only one way to get a dog, and that is to rescue it. They do not know what they are talking about. They are not my friend, they don’t care what I want or need.

I’ve done my homework,  not we’ll see what Garnett can deliver, poor thing, I bet she will be happy to give birth. It looks like she is getting a lot of love. I love working with a professional rescue group, I love working with a conscientious and respectable breeder.

I can’t wait to see the puppy photos and to try to determine if our Zinnia (named after Maria’s favorite flower) in there. We will call her “Zin.” I intend to fully share this process, honestly and openly. You are invited to this party.