I'm glad I didn't see it.

I have a Bernese Mountain Dog, but it's the first time I ever went to a breeder for a dog. I had a friend who bred them, but I had never seen one until I visited her downstate years ago. She had four adults (for show and breeding), and I completely fell in love with the breed.

I had an old dog, and I didn't want to force her to live out her "golden years" with a rambunctious puppy, so I decided to wait. In the meantime, I looked at the dogs on the internet, trying to find a good reason NOT to own one. BUT, the more I looked at them, the more I wanted one.

After my old dog passed away, I called my friend but she didn't have any puppies. She referred me to a woman who was the president of the BMD Assn. here.

I felt like I was adopting a child. I spent HOURS on the phone with this woman, over 3 separate interviews. Even though this woman was close with my friend and knew my friend had known me since I was a teenager, I practically had to tell her my whole life story. I had to go into detail exactly why I wanted one of her dogs, lol. I just wanted a companion with a happy BMD face. I was NOT allowed to pick from her litter.

It was a pain in the butt, but I was impressed with how much she cared for her dogs and where they were going.

Strangest thing when we picked up "Geneva." I had fallen in love with a particular puppy's photo named "Elvis." When the breeder brought Geneva out to us, she looked EXACTLY like "Elvis" (exactly the same markings). Geneva's official name was "Dolly," after Dolly Parton.

We've had Geneva now for 8 years. The breeder must have been paying close attention because Geneva is a perfect match for us - a breathing teddy bear.

I think the problem is when people think they can make money by breeding animals. There's a big difference between people who care about the breed and people who are just out to make money.