The "Call"

I have had the good fortune of having the first two dogs I raised, Marisa and Rolie, graduate so when Hope was released, it was the first time I had to ever experience the "call" from CCI telling me my dog was released from the program.  The NW puppy program manager first called me on my work phone, but I happened to be on a teleconference, so I just saw my red message light blinking and didn't think anything of it.  Of course, when I then heard my cell phone ring and saw the number was a Santa Rosa number, I knew immediately this was it, the call that Hope was being released from the program.  They never tell you your dog is released when they leave a message, only to call back as soon as possible, but you know what it is...

It was no surprise to me that Hope was being released as her prior reports had shown the surface issues, I just had hopes that her trainer could work her through it.  But, it was not to be. Of course, when I returned the call to CCI, they confirmed it, she was being released.  

After I hung up, I immediately burst into tears, the dream of her graduating was over.  But in another sense, I also felt a big sense of relief.  Hope's first report was just awful and didn't sound like her at all, the 2nd report was a complete turnaround and her training seemed to be going well, the 3rd month was when the surface issues started and continued into the 4th report.  The sense of relief I felt was knowing that she no longer had to endure the rigors of the training environment anymore, she was probably very stressed from having to live in the kennels and living the life of a training dog, an environment where she just was not happy.  It stressed me out that she was not happy, so she needed to come home, whereever that might be.

I knew I would bring her home, but at that point, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with her, keep her or try to place her with someone else.  Most of all, she just needed to come home to a familiar place and chill out for a bit.

There was a lot for me to consider if I were to keep her and that's why the decision was not easy for me or something I could make a decision on with any certainty: 

1. Would Hope adjust to being home all day as she was used to going to work with me everyday, especially since my current CCI pup would be going to work with me, would she handle that?

2. This would mean I would have 3 dogs (Molly, Hope, and Zucchini) so could I handle it all on my own and give each dog the attention they each deserved? Lots more dog hair, more poop to pick up, dogs to groom, etc.

3. Could I afford having 3 dogs?