Guess Who's Getting a Puppy

I don’t listen.  I really don’t.  It takes time and wise counsel from a select few individuals before I will listen.  AND even then it takes me a minute to make a decision.  But when I make that decision it’s done.  For years Kade, my son, asked for a dog.  And I managed to come up with every reason why he couldn’t have a dog.  Of course, there’s the day job.  Then there’s my photography business.  And then there’s getting Kade to Sharpen Iron Academy for Jiu Jitsu classes.  So many things to get taken care of.   In late 2019 he came home from school with a proposal.   As we stepped in the house he said, “I want to make a deal with you.”  And I was like “what’s that?  What’s the deal this time?”  He said, “If I make all A’s in school, then I get to get a puppy.”  He’s normally an A and B student.  I liked how he set the goal and was raising the bar for himself.  So I said, “Yes!  You get the grades and I’ll get you the puppy.” 

Over the next few months we talked about various breeds.    He liked the Cane Corso, Rottweiler, French Bull dog and the Australian Shepherd.   Since we live near a nature preserve in Plano, I didn’t feel comfortable with the French Bulldog due to the bobcats and coyotes in the area.  And since I was planning to raise cattle I figured the Australian Shepherd was the best choice.  I called all over Texas searching for a reputable Australian Shepherd breeder.   Luckily for me I discovered www.slashv.com located in Bryan, TX.    Although Kade knew he was getting a dog, he didn’t know exactly when I would purchase the dog or even bring him home.    But I was able to keep him occupied and distracted with our entry into cattle.  So while he was waiting on me to find the pup, I managed to hit a local cattle auction and purchased 4 Brangus cattle.  Being a cattle rancher is still very new to me.   I like the idea of raising livestock and teaching my son what manual labor looks like.  The closes thing to manual labor for him has been while serving as my lighting assistant during family photography portrait sessions in Plano.    Below are a few pictures of Echo, the puppy, and the cattle we purchased.