Helen & Esme - Part 1
Some bonus content for Puppy Week - I am going to tell you all about a client I have worked with this year...
Back in April, Helen approached me with regards to assistance in finding her a new family member: a puppy of course!
Her first step was to book in with me to have an initial puppy guidance session. This is a one and a half hour appointment where we talk and get down to the nitty gritty of wanting a puppy, why, when and how. You can find the link in the comments below to book yours.
Helen has two children aged 13 and 11 so it was always going to be a puppy. I'd usually ask what a client is looking for in a dog and then make some recommendations, but Helen had already decided on a cockapoo, very specifically, a female black cockapoo. I will always go over the different breeds and explain their needs, the dos the don'ts, and despite Helen telling me what breed she wanted I told her the potential drawbacks with cockapoos anyway.
There was no dissuading her though  She had also already decided on a name: Esme.
The next step was deciding when Esme would arrive in the home. This was going to be around 16th of August, as Helen had a summer holiday planned so needed Esme to arrive once the holiday was out of the way. Helen would then have two weeks to settle in Esme before going back to work in September.
As Helen is self-employed it was already established that rather than being home alone a lot, Esme would be a part of Helen's everyday life, going to work appointments and cafes, traveling in the car, going to her son's horseriding stables and other dog-friendly places.
Next we had to find a breeder and a puppy. That's my job. I have a list of things I'm looking for. The obvious things are price, age, colour, breed, but I also had to take a lot of care, looking at the photos and words on the adverts and seeing what information those gave me.
I first found a lovely breeder who offered so much, but sadly the pups were the wrong age. But then I found the one. I made the initial contact, explaining who I was, what I did, and included my details. They happily responded. I didn't want to get too excited, but after the conversation that we had, I felt like this might be our Esme. I told Helen that we might have found her, but we still had to be careful. We still can't assume, we need to see the pups for ourselves, see the mum and see her surroundings.
So we made the appointment, and I had the pleasure of going with Helen to meet the pups. From the moment we got there I knew instantly it was going to be a very positive visit. We met the pups, we met their mum and their nana, both of whom were in beautiful condition. They were all very happy and very friendly dogs.
Helen and I asked lots of questions and met the breeder's whole family as well as all of the dogs. We were there for a good hour and Helen had lots of cuddles with "puppy yellow" (with a yellow collar) who was the only black female of the litter. Yellow is a huge symbol of light and joy for Helen, so it was wins all around.
The area where the pups were in the house was a clean, tidy, cozy, little space. Perfect. David, Margie and their daughter Emelia were fantastic. It was clear from the start, they not only knew what they were doing, but they wanted the absolute best for their puppies. It was a pleasure to be there with them. All breeders should be like David and Margie. Breeders out there, take note!
After this initial visit, Helen was able to visit a number of times before Esme came home. During this time, David also set up a puppy WhatsApp group, sharing photos, updates, everything. I got to be a part of that, too. I love my job.
To find out what happened when Esme came home, look out for part 2 coming soon...
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