Memphis is Getting a Sister!

​As Sydney and I continue to figure out this whole adulting thing, we make a lot of decisions on our drives to and from Nashville or Charlotte to plan our wedding or see our parents. Since we moved into our own apartment this last summer, we decided that we would get another puppy after our honeymoon. We have the space for another, Sydney will have a lot of time to train, and frankly, Memphis needs a friend. ​

As our wedding and honeymoon get closer, many of our car ride conversations have not been about the wedding, our honeymoon, or what life will be like as a married couple. Instead, we have been going back and forth on what kind of dog we should get after all the wedding festivities. 

Sydney had been keeping up with the puppies at the local animal shelter, but it seemed like someone would snag a puppy up the second we grew attached to one. Anybody that knows my fiancée knows that she is a planner. Have we made some impulsive decisions? Sure! But most of those impulsive decisions were made simply because we just had to bite the bullet and make a decision. Otherwise, a decision would never be made.

Sydney is very active on her "Raising an Australian Shepherd" Facebook Groups and showed me a litter of puppies from a reputable breeder active in one of those groups, Willow Oak Aussies, out of Alabama. 

Before she stumbled across Willow Oak, we had gone back and forth on whether or not we wanted to get a lab or a hound, two breeds that seemed to consistently flow in and out of the shelter we were following. While this was the most feasible option, since we got Memphis, we had said that the next dog we got would be another Aussie. 

The odds of an Aussie showing up at the shelter was slim to none. However, I knew Sydney wanted another Aussie, and I badly wanted another. But Sydney is very money conscious and did not want to spend the money to get the dog she wants. 

Now, I like to spoil Sydney. I'm a man. That's what we're supposed to do for our ladies. What's nice about my soon-to-be wife is that I also want many things she wants, such as another Aussie. I just have to talk Sydney into spending the money to get what she wants. As someone with a degree in Marketing and who has gone through a lot of sales training, you cannot tell me you want something. The only thing holding you back is spending the money because I will sell you what you want. 

So, when Sydney showed me this litter of puppies, I told her to pick one and give me the breeder's phone number. She was hesitant, but I told her, "We have enough money, and we're getting this puppy." All this happened in the Crossville, Tennessee Buc-ee's parking lot, so I called the breeder as I walked into my favorite place on planet Earth.

The puppy Sydney picked out was not yet reserved but had another potential buyer. Lora, the owner of Willow Oak Aussies, had told me that she would try to contact the other potential buyers to see if they were sold on the one Sydney picked out. 

When I got back to the car, I told Sydney, "In the event the puppy you want is sold, pick two other puppies you would be okay with getting." So, she picked out her two, a boy and a girl, and I called Lora back to ask if they were available. Luckily both of them had not yet had any potential buyers, so I told Lora that we wanted the girl, and that was that. So, we are getting another puppy! I wrote out a check that night! 

I wasn't expecting that Lora would send me a few videos of our new puppy the next day. But the thought of spending our money didn't even matter when she did. Now, we're so hyper-focus on getting our new puppy that the wedding and honeymoon is on the back burner of our minds. 

Since our puppy is from Alabama and Sydney and I wanted to stick with the geographical name theme, we decided to name our new puppy Dixie! Our little Dixieland Delight.

If you are looking for an Aussie, we HIGHLY recommend reaching out to Willow Oak Ranch. Lora has been super helpful and informative and keeps us updated on "Miss Dixie." You can find them on Instagram, Facebook, or their website, willowoakaussies.com. 

Needless to say, Sydney and I are super excited to bring Dixie home and watch her and Memphis grow together. We've got a feeling Dixie will be our little hell-raiser, though the videos we have received indicate that she is a chill puppy. It's that second-child syndrome. So expect many more blogs and TikToks of the two of them growing up together!