Human: Denise
Canine: Baxter
Location: Orlando, Florida
Type: Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Our Story:
Baxter was originally supposed to be the quest and purchase of a German Shepherd. That being said, we initiated a search far and wide (mom was a little picky about the type of GSD she wanted). We looked all over the internet and in the local paper for a breeder but to no avail.
One day in a long and faraway place (5 miles down the road) we stopped at a local pet store “just to look”. They had a German Shepherd puppy, but there was also a cute fluffy soft dog that looked something like a lamb and a llama. Well the lamb-looking dog won us over….we took one look at him and mom’s heart was stolen. The breeder told us that he was a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. Neither of us has ever heard of this breed, but he was soooooo soft and playful that we decided to go home and think about it. As soon as we got home we searched the internet and we fell in love with the pictures of the puppies, they all looked like little Boyd bears. Mom, being the researcher that she is, found a local breeder within the same hour. It’s funny our entire family was created through the use of the internet. Did I mention we were supposed to be looking for a German Shepherd?
The local breeder sent us Baxter’s picture and that was that, we had to go “look” at him.
We had a plan, we decided were going to “just go and look”…even though we had enough cash on us to buy him. We were “just looking”… and the other part of the plan was to negotiate a lower price. I drove and took several wrong turns, and since I was driving we couldn’t possibly be lost. But… just when we were about to give up my cop instinct kicked in and I found the dirt road. Finally, we found the house …..one look at Baxter and we were done! We never even mentioned the price; we just scooped him up and left as fast as we could!!
Somehow we had the idea that anyone with a puppy this cute couldn’t possibly part with it! So…we were off and running with our new addition!!
Now, I know what you are thinking. You wanted a German Shepherd??? Do you have any idea what type of breed you got? The answer is yes…. oh yes! I know exactly what I was getting in to. The difference between a German Shepherd and a Terrier is huge!
And that’s where my mission began. My mission was to train this sweet little guy to be the most obedient and well-behaved dog anyone had ever seen. After all, I was previously a Police k-9 Officer!
Lo and behold…Baxter ended up training me!! He made me realize that what I thought was this puppy being dumb as a rock was actually Baxter’s superior intelligence over mine. Almost a year later and at my wit’s end, I found that there are more ways than one to train, especially with a terrier breed. Baxter has taught me more than 11 years of military and 9 years of police work ever could have! Baxter has taught me to be patient, to be a nicer person, and what it truly means to love unconditionally. He has saved our relationship more than once with his innate ability to pick up on emotions. His other mother has become an amazing handler with no previous experience. Baxter is the sweetest boy I have met. The wait for my German Shepherd has been a blessing in disguise!!
