Puppies
Puppies! Who doesn't love puppies? I saw a whole lot of puppies growing up. One year (was it Christmas?) my parents gave their three boys a young female German miniature schnauzer. What fun! But with a caveat. She was the gift that would keep on giving. She was an early lesson in entrepreneurialism. She was a breeding dog, and we were going to make a bit of money. Her name was Lucky Loo (sp) because she somehow escaped having her ears cropped, dew claws clipped, and tail docked. I recall sitting outside the room when the veterinarian did all of that to the puppies and their cries still haunt me. I can still see their tails piled up on the stainless steel table. "Puppy farms" have a bad reputation, and rightly so. Those dogs are not treated well. Dogs that come from homes where they have been held and loved on are more likely to be well-adjusted and happy. So homegrown puppies commanded a bit of a higher price. Our puppies ended up in pet shops in Denver. I thought th...