Becky chose the name "Jacoby," stating that if we ever got another dog we should name him after Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. We had named our first dog "Hank Boomer Todd," so our next puppy would be "Hank Jacoby Todd."
Our breeder Diane McDonough had asked us if we wanted a male or female puppy, and we chose male. We were fourth in line for a male, and with four male puppies in the litter, we would get whatever puppy was left. We thought it would be easy!
So in November of 2011 we drove down to Carver to meet him. But when we got there: SURPRISE! One of the owners had backed out and there were two male puppies to choose from! So one by one we pulled them from their play area to get to know them.
The first puppy immediately reared up on its hind legs and then sprinted around the room like a banshee, biting the furniture, tearing at the floor, and pulling on our clothing. So we thought to ourselves, "let's try the other one!"
And we picked up Jacoby for the first time. We put him on the ground in front of us and he was just content and happy, wagging his tail and sauntering around. He trotted around behind us so we couldn't see him. How awkward!
His chill demeanor not only won us over but it was an amazingly accurate foreshadowing of what he would be like for the rest of his life: well-behaved, loving, and slightly weird.
We were so happy. The next step was to wait until he was old enough to bring him home. The picture above is from that first day we picked him up: December 18, 2011. We hadn't told Matthew or Becky, so on that day we surprised them both!
