Happy birthday Tucker Melton!

As you might have gathered from last week's tweets, we celebrated Tucker's birthday last Saturday! It has been 2 years since Tucker was born in Montana. We celebrated with swimming, a bath, and some pupcake:

Geez we are obsessed with this dog. He has brought us so much joy, introduced us to new folks and stirred up conversation wherever we go. Thanks for helping us make friends Tucker! I thought I would tell you all the story of how Tucker became a part of our family, with lots of pictures of course! 

We both knew we wanted a dog early in our marriage. Austin was game for anyone he could play frisbee with, while I needed a dog that wouldn't make my allergies go nuts, which is what happens with any shedding and animal hair. We had found a great solution in the goldendoodle (poodle + golden retriever) because they did not shed and had a playful and loving personality. My family had their goldendoodle, Gracie for about a year at this point and we loved her! That is how we were first introduced to our breeder Donna at Suwanee Goldendoodles. 

Our one big hurdle was the price. As newlyweds we didn't really have $1500 to drop on a dog. We decided we would have to save up and wait for a dog. I contacted Donna anyways, voicing our desire for a goldendoodle and asking about upcoming litters and payment plans. Donna then asked us if we were interesting in becoming guardians. 

I had no idea what this meant, but I was thrilled when she gave us the rundown: we would pay for a dog at a discounted price, then spend the next year getting Tucker medically cleared and AKC certified in hopes that he would become a Suwanee Goldendoodles stud. If he sired a successful litter, we would get paid a fraction of the earnings from that litter. We said yes! We would love to be Tucker's guardians. 

Tucker had his first litter of puppies over Christmas with his girlfriend Scout. There were 5 boys and one girl, because "the Melton's only make men" (Austin's words). 

We have loved being Tucker's parents! We take him everywhere we can so he can meet as many people as possible. This summer he has loved playing frisbee on the beach! He starts up good conversations with strangers wherever we go. 

Because of Tucker we have been able to meet new people, share his story, and share our story. "Designer dog" or not, this boy is loved and will provide that same relationship for other families who receive his puppies. 

Lots of hugs to our dood!