The Story of Camden

This is the story of how Camden (and Casco) came to be in my life.

I would be a fool not to say that it didn't start out with an amazing little Miniature Pinscher and a healthy dose of luck. To anyone who knows the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever breed I do not have to tell you how lucky I am to have two wonderful toller pups born 4 days apart from separate liters  as my part of my furry pose, but before I get ahead of myself.... lets start at the beginning:

My family has never been one people would classify as a "dog family". We did have one Yorkshire Terrier, named Jericho Shadow of Mount Mansfield, that passed away from old age. I have always loved animals especially dogs. I've always wanted one of my very own. My amazing parents blessed me with a puppy Miniature Pinscher, named Quinni, on Christmas Eve 2010. She has quickly won over the hearts of my parents who now refer to themselves as Grammie and Grampie. My brother has also been a dog lover and wanted one of his own. I tell you this because this is where the story of Cami truly begins.

Quinni lounging in the grass @ 6 months

On June 23rd, 2012 my parents, Quinn and myself attending a Dock Dogs event in our home town of Scarborough. Quinn's trainer, Jesse Dalton, and his fabulous pups were jumping and we wanted to go show our support. (He has really changed my Quinn.... but that is another story). While we were sitting there in the hot sun watching the competition the announcer mentioned that the next dog jumping was a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. I quickly pointed out the stunning pup to my parents. "This is the breed I was telling you about!! The one that fits us and Darren!!" I first came across the breed at my job. A customer brought in a NSDTR and I fell in love. Doing as much research as I could on the breed it seemed a perfect match for my family. We wanted an active, smart dog who could go biking, hiking, and be a constant companion to us. The NSDTR was it!

My father saw this NSDTR jumping into the water and felt the same way I did. He said he could tell that it would be a good fit. After we left the competition my mother went and took a nap and my father and I sat on our back deck and talked about dogs and the competition. My dad looked at me a little ways into our conversation and dead serious said "What about the Nova Scotia Dock Tolling Retriever? Tell me more about it?". That was it. I jumped and started showing him pictures and reading the breed standard to him. By the time my mother rejoined us we were telling her how much we wanted to start looking for a toller pup. She took a little more convincing than my father, but by the end of the night we were on the search. After doing more research and talking with a breeder we were pointed in the direction of Seastar Kennels. The most fabulous group of breeders I've ever met. I sent an email Saturday night inquiring about any available puppies and received an email back the following morning saying that they did in fact have two puppies available from two separate litters. One was an outgoing male named Skiff from a litter of puppies Chase x Bell. The other puppy was a shy little girl named Lava from a litter of puppies Cooper x Keji. We had in our minds of getting another little girl, but the male sounded like he would be a better fit for the personality we wanted. (NOTE: Everyone seems to go into buying a puppy with a set frame of mind on what they want. We were very open minded having several discussion as a family. We just wanted the best fit for our family) We sent in the application that Sunday and were invited to Wrentham, MA to see the two pups (and some of the their spoken for litter mates) on Monday evening.

Lava @ 8wks - right before we brought her home

After the long drive, Debbie Smith and her amazing family introduced us to the fabulous world of Tollers! Seeing wiggly fluffy puppies running, playing and exploring is an amazing sight. Skiff was true to the breeder's description. He was energetic and more confident. He was off exploring and playing with the other puppies. Lava was also true to what we had been told. She was more reserved and a little nervous. She was placed in my mother's arms and instantly snuggled up under her chin. That was it.... we weren't leaving without Lava. We had a dilemma though... Skiff was a great fit.

To make a really long story short (er)... We ended up placing both pups in the back of our SUV and making the trek home serenaded by the Toller scream. That's when all the fun began (and I wouldn't have it any other way)!!