Maybe....just maybe....

Most of you know that our beloved Weimaraner, Aiko, got sick very suddenly and had to be put down soon after we arrived here in Norway. She was only two years old and wow, it has been really quiet without her. We have a red and white Siberian husky named Cheyenne. She is more like a cat in a dog's body. She is independent and really could care less for attention for the most part. She sleeps most of the day and night as she is 10 years old now.
My good friend Julie (and I feel bad as Rich may never forgive her for this) told me about some friends of hers that have puppies at their house. They own the momma dog. She was the runt of her litter and is relatively small. They were told she was Border Collie and Golden Retriever mix with possibly some Pointer in her as well. She looks like a Border Collie for the most part. She is young...this was the first time she was in heat. They had not planned to breed her. Their vet thinks maybe there is some lab in her. Goodness, who knows. The dad is a gorgeous and very well-behaved and kid-friendly Flat-coated Retriever that lives across the street. He is four years old. There are seven puppies. They are all black and some have touches of white on them. There are three females and 4 males. I made the mistake of visiting them. Actually they were 10 days old the day I visited and they still had their eyes closed. I don't think they are as cute at that age as they are when they are a few weeks older. Anyhow, I fell in love....
Lily liked them as well. We were there an hour (Julie, Lily and myself) and I got to know the Momma dog (who is fabulous) and cuddle one of the little females.
I did call Rich after the fact and tell them that I had looked at them. He asked me, "Are you calling to tell me that you have one?"
"Oh no", I replied.
He wanted to know how serious I was about wanting one. "Hmmmmm, I have started making a list of possible names." :o) Rich is the only hold out at this point. I think he is warming up to the idea. We all decided on a name for the next dog...whichever one it might be. Her name will be Kona.
All of our dogs except Aiko (who came with her name already) were named after places we had been and loved. (Hershey, Tahoe, Cheyenne) When Rich and I went to Hawaii for our 10th weddding anniversary, we spent some time on the Big Island of Hawaii. We were at Volcanoes National Park and it was cold and rainy, not at all what we had expected. We left two days early to go to Kona....the sunny side of the island, and had a fabulous time there. We snorkeled with sea turtles and Rich surfed. We just generally enjoyed that area so much. Also, we often called Aiko "Ko" because that is what Lily called her. This way if we slip, we are still calling our new dog.
Here are a few pictures of the pups. Notice that I do not at all look enamored by the little female I am holding... :o)
The family will not be charging anything for the pups except the vet's bills for vaccinations. That is helping with Rich's decision I think...
The puppies will be ready for adoption on May 1st...