Since moving from NY just over three years ago, we decided our previous dog Snowball, who was getting old at 15 at the time, would be better off staying with my Stepdaughter Ashley, in NY, who had been taking care of her mostly when she was living with us. Snowball passed this last March at the nice age of 17 and a half years old.

We had thought about getting another dog, now that we are more settled, down south. But my wife was not a fan of the idea as much as my son Joe and I were. Whenever we would visit the mall in Melbourne, FL I always made an extra effort to see the pups in the store there. No, I was not a fan of this type of place, although this store did have some strict policies to ensure good health. It really was a means to view different breeds and fantasize which one we would pick if we could.

Well, just before Hurricane Milton was due to hit Florida, a co-worker at my wife’s job had a family relationship with a person who had a litter of 7 Goldendoodles. This is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a standard Poodle, so not your typical small breed. By the time I was made aware of this, there were only two left. The impending storm forced us to wait before we could visit the breeder. Then, the Jewish holiday of Yom Kipper fell upon us, and I had to delay the visit until that Sunday. By now, only one was left. Due to my wife’s association with the work family, we got first dibs on her as there was interest with another family. As soon as we saw her, we knew we had to have her. Even my somewhat indifferent wife, was all in (even if she will never admit it). We had to wait nearly another 4 days so we could get the house ready, making it puppy proof as best we could in the short time. All rugs were rolled up and moved. Most wooden furniture and our dining room table were pushed in one section of our open floor plan house. Plastic folding tables and any large flat boxes we got from ordered supplies (crate and dog pen) were used as barriers to block the furniture from potential teething. Then there were the baby gates to lock her from access to other parts of the house. The list seemed endless, toys, bowls, pads, food, puppy shampoo, etc. When we got her home, she was scared but adjusted quickly. She did have an upset stomach which had me taking her outside every two hours the 2^nd day. Then, before I realized it, she was pretty much housebroken. The bad news was she was now barking and crying every two hours to go out. Including overnight, just like a baby would. We have grown attached to her playful energy and the breed that just loves everyone. With her upset stomach on the mend, her sleep is lasting longer and that is good for all of us.

There really is no truer friend than a dog. Loving, loyal and faithful. We are blessed to have Luna with us now.

PS Happy Birthday today to my beautiful wife Indy!