Puppy Adoption: Getting Princess

I adopted Princess when she was 6 weeks old. Six weeks is very, very young for a puppy to be adopted and taken from it's mother, but it was a special circumstance.

Princess' Mother

Princess' mother, Nessie, used to have a family. Her family went on a long weekend and left her tied to a leash in the middle of the yard (since they lacked a fence). After the long weekend, they come home to find Nessie was missing. After searching everywhere, they finally found her with the leash tightly wound around her leg.

Her family rushed her to the vet. She needed to had the leg amputated but Nessie's family couldn't afford the high price of surgery. The vet gave them another option. He would do the surgery for free but they would have to give the dog up and he would help Nessie find a good home. The family agreed and the surgery was performed. It was during the surgery when they realized Nessie was pregnant.

Puppies!

Flash forward to the day I got Princess. I opened the front door to see my friend and her husband holding two adorable puppies! They were the cutest things. I wanted to get a dog but the timing never seemed right. It was their cute appearances that convinced me I need a puppy right that instant. After convincing my hubby that we needed a puppy, we all hopped into my friend's car and drove to the puppy house.

It was impossible to pick out a puppy. We had three to choose from and I honestly wanted them all. We narrowed it down to the runt of the litter and the second largest puppy. I was rooting for the runt, but after watching how these puppies interacted with us, the bigger dog won a place in our home. She was the most receptive to our playing and petting.

The puppy was free, so we brought her home right away. It took a few days for us to come up with a name, but Princess' personality is that of a princess. She thinks she runs the show and does as she pleases.

And that is the story of how we got Princess the Puppy.

Disclaimer: I realize that puppies should not be removed from their mother until they are 8 weeks old. The vet said that the mother had finished nursing her pups and the pups did not appear to need the mother's nursing anymore. If I hadn't taken Princess and the other puppies hadn't been adopted, they would have been taken to the Shelter, which is a worse place for a puppy than with a family that cares. But please, in all other circumstances, keep the puppy with their mother until they are at least 8 weeks old.