Our Trip to Wisconsin

At 7:00 AM May 20, Jamie arrived to pick me up. Gilmanton, WI is a small town

in Buffalo county. We do not go into town as we stay west of town for the dog breeder. My surprise was the dog breed he was breeding, the Belgian Malinois.

Jamie and I had reviewed this breed extensively and he felt that they would be good for mobility service dogs. The only problem we found unacceptable was their adaptability for apartment living. There were several other minor problems, but with training, they could be managed.

We talked about dogs for much of the trip and Jamie said they were expecting us, but he had not said who was coming with him. I laughed and said I will be happy to see him as we had been in the same unit overseas and hoped he remembers me.

When we arrived, John did remember me and we had a good talk until I reminded him that we were there to see the dogs. We headed for the barn where he had the dogs and the first thing he did was show us was the certificates for proof of the parents having been cleared for several health conditions. Jamie thanked John for showing this first and otherwise we would have had to ask and possibly been very cautious about the dogs. John said that the papers were very important and he always shows them first because good trainers will walk away if they have doubts.

Jamie agreed with him, but added that he still has to be careful as he recently bought three Saint Bernards that were not properly socialized and behaved as if they had some harsh training. John said true, and that is the reason he prefers selling his dogs between 6 months to 12 months of age. He added that he had six grand children and they are in contact almost every weekend and he was expecting four home later today. He added that he and his wife had contact with them on a daily basis and he invited neighbors to visit for purposes of helping socialize the puppies, plus there were several neighbor children between 9 years and 18 years that visited often.

Jamie said then let's see the puppies. John led us to the section for older dogs and let us pet several dogs that were relatives of the puppies and than he took us to the puppies. We watched them for about 20 minutes and John said that the mother and father were in the next section. Both were friendly and Jamie asked if we could enter their area. John opened the door and Jamie and I entered. Jamie knelt and I remained standing. Both dogs came to Jamie and were seeking attention, which Jamie gave them. I then knelt and the mother came to me for more attention. When Jamie and I stood up, both dogs sat down and waited to see what we were doing. John opened the door, we left the area, and Jamie asked John how many of the puppies were for sale. John said all were for sale, but he was limiting us to two, as he had buyers for the other four.

John told us to select the two we wanted and he would put collars on them. With that the three of us entered the puppy area and both of us knelt down and the puppies came to us. Three of the puppies held back and Jamie looked at the three that came to us. The three that had approached us were all males, Jamie selected two, and John handed him a collar and put a collar on the second one. Next John said he had another kennel with five younger puppies that he would not sell as they were under six months of age. Jamie said he would like to see them and John led us to their kennel.

At that time, four of the grand children entered the barn and hollered for grandpa. The puppies started looking for the children, they came and entered the two kennels and petting the puppies, and the puppies were obviously happy to see them.

Jamie and I headed for the door to leave the barn and waited for John to join us. John joined us in a few minutes and expressed he needed to talk to the grand children. Both Jamie and I agreed we expected that. Next John introduced us to his wife and daughter who were coming to the barn. Next, we started to the house and met his son and his wife.

John then asked Jamie if he was ready to deal. Jamie told me to wander back to the barn and he and John would talk. I said okay, and started back to the barn. John's son saw me coming and turned to talk with me. He asked how I knew this father and I said from our time in the Army. I could see his interest rise and then he asked how long we were stationed together. I said over three years, that then he took his discharge, and I was in the Army for two more years and left with almost nine years in the Army. Next he asked my age and I

told him I am 75 years of age. Oh, he said, you are older than my father is, I said yes, I was in college three years and quit because I lost my student deferment and had received a call for the draft board. Your father entered right out of high school and enlisted for four years.

We talked for a little while longer and his mother came out and said she had forgot about me, but now remembered me. I said that I had recognized her and we were on the way to the house and knew you were trying to catch up to the grand children. She admitted that and said he husband was not coming and she hoped that puppies were sold.

In a few minutes, John and Jamie came back to the barn.  I asked if they had concluded a deal. Jamie confirmed this when he said you carry one and I will carry the other one. When we arrive at the truck, we put the two in the carrier in the back seat. When John saw the carrier, he said good, as he was glad they would be confined for the trip. Jamie asked if they had been trained for a leash. John said yes, and they will probably go potty if you let them out on a leash. Jamie put one on a leash and handed me the other leash, we let both out and walked to some bushes, and both did their business. We load them back into the carrier and Jamie thanked John. John gave me a hug and asked me how much I worked for Jamie and I said when I can around health problems. We said good-bye and started on our way home.