I Think,Therefore I Worry

I think, therefore I worry - a phrase I recently saw on a T-shirt. It made me laugh because I thought it was so appropriate for me. Too bad I wouldn't be caught dead in a shirt with a phrase on it. This has been a period of time when that phrase has been particularly applicable. In my last blog I mentioned my wishes for us to be able to bring home a puppy, possibly two. It, in fact, is happening! I couldn't be happier that Mark feels the same way. The anticipation has been tremendous and so has the pressure of dealing with an online resource. Aileen, the breeder that we are purchasing the dogs from hasn't been anything less than wonderful yet you can't help but think of those poor folks that are on 20/20 that got suckered out of their life savings due to Internet scams. I was in the process of finalizing all the details on the phone with the breeder. Hanging up the phone, I was filled with excitement over being a step closer to having this be a reality. I noticed Mark was on the other line and he'd been waiting for me to complete my call. He handed me his phone with Margaret, his sister from North Carolina waiting to talk to me. I knew Mark had told his Mom about the pups and Margaret knowing was no surprise so I thought it was nice for her to call to congratulate us. That wasn't quite the reason for the call. When I got on the line she asked me what kind of research I'd done. "Don't you know there are scams out there"! "People create fake businesses - you'll be sending a very large sum of money to a stranger and may never see those dogs"! It was like someone dropped a bucket of ice on my head. I went from elation to a sort of depressed trepidation in 30 seconds. With both of us on our computers we searched for ways to try to find out if this would be a legitimate transaction. I could see in Mark's face that this was a rude awakening as well and that there was every possibility that instead of dealing with it he would back out. I wanted to cry but I knew that despite the way this information was introduced to me that Margaret was valid and there were things I hadn't done yet to make certain we wouldn't be taken advantage of . There just is no 100% guarantee when dealing over the Internet but I did find out that the AKC shows several registrations of litters from Aileen including ours. That was huge for me in feeling better but I still approached a contact in the English Toy Spaniel Club of America who, after a few conversations, went to the website where our dogs are pictured and confirmed that the puppies that we are interested in are indeed purebreds. Whew! They're not here yet and until they are I will definitely have much to worry about as it seems to be my nature. I worry about my luggage getting lost on a flight that requires a plane change, no less puppies being delivered! I look forward to being able to post their arrival very soon!