Meet Trixie Our New Puppy
After years without a dog, I really missed having one in the house. So, for my birthday this year, I decided it was time to find a new furry friend. But the search for a puppy wasn’t easy. I quickly realized there were lots of shady breeders and even potential scammers out there. To avoid trouble, I decided to only look for puppies within a 30-minute drive from my home so I could meet the seller and the puppy in person before making a decision.
Unfortunately, I encountered several people who insisted on large upfront deposits, claiming they needed to "hold" or "prepare" the puppy. They often tried to create a sense of urgency, suggesting that the puppy might be gone by the time I arrived. Even when I offered to drive over immediately and wait while they got the puppy ready, they refused unless I paid a deposit first.
One seller on Facebook claimed to be in Orange County, but I noticed a German mailbox in one of their photos, which had obviously been lifted from the internet. After these frustrating experiences, I decided it wasn't worth the risk. Instead, I turned to fostering from an active dog rescue and found California Doodle Rescue.
I initially planned to adopt a tan-colored mini doodle, but when I arrived at the vet (a 2.5-hour drive away), someone else had already picked up the dog, pretending they were there for the puppy I was promised. After a lot of back-and-forth, it was agreed that I should take another puppy from the litter and meet the other person to exchange the dogs.
That's when Nurse and Dr. Dumas came out with Twinkle, a dark chocolate-colored mini doodle mix. And that’s how Trixie came into our lives!
My daughter once mentioned that black dogs aren't as popular as lighter-colored ones, and as I was showered with kisses from Twinkle in the car, I started to really think about it. I called my contact at the doodle rescue and told her I had decided to keep Twinkle. We later renamed her Trixie, which means "bringer of joy." I just couldn't bring myself to separate the other family’s kids from the puppy they had already fallen in love with. Besides, a sweet puppy like Trixie deserves a loving home just as much as any other dog, so we made the 2.5-hour drive back home together. And I have not regretted one minute of it :)
