Well, I’m about to write about something I never imagined…at least not for a good 10 years! We are seriously considering getting a dog. There, it’s out there. If you are a long-time blog reader you might remember our miniature Schnauzer Daisy. We had her for a few years but ended up giving her to an older, single woman who was looking for a companion. Please don’t e-mail me about what horrible people we are because we did what was in the best interest of Daisy at the time (we were moving, I was pregnant, she wasn’t getting the attention she needed, etc). After that I said the only pet we could handle would be a fish until the kids were teenagers! I just didn’t want to go through that again and I know my limits. So…how could we possibly be in this position?! Ha. Life is funny. The kids have been wanting a dog for ages, but then again, they also want to move to Texas and become real cowboys…..some things just aren’t feasable!:) Still, Jim and I started to joke around about it, then slowly start to really contemplate the benefits (and drawbacks) of getting a dog. We went over the last situation (Daisy was an impulse buy, we never really prepared or talked it through, Jim didn’t even like that breed of dog, etc).
We made a long list and sat up late one night talking about all the ways a dog would change things (good and bad). We would have dog poop in our yard, she may wake us up early, or keep us up late with bathroom calls. The expense of dog food, heart worm meds, and what about taking vacations? Plus, dogs are a long-term addition, would we be prepared to take care of her until Gabriel was 17 or 18?! With all of those points duly noted, amazingly enough, we still both kind of wanted to look into the possibility…not now, but maybe 1 or 2 years from now. Jim always grew up with dogs and we agreed our boys would love, and get some great memories from having a furry buddy around the house. Plus it would be a good safety addition and thankfully we do have a good yard and neighborhood for an animal.
The bottom line is, we knew IF and WHEN we ever got a dog, only one breed would make the cut. It was the same breed of dog we both fell in love with 8 years ago as a newly married couple in NC. Our neighbor had an English Bulldog and he was sweet, laid-back, and very well tempered. Well, come to find out, those dogs are not cheap! Yowzers!! I looked them up and thought “okay, that was a fun idea…now lets get back to real life”! No how, no way could we afford an animal that costs more than my first car! BUT…just on a whim I e-mailed the local breeder and asked if they had any other options……and I figured that would be the end of that. Well, not so fast! Come to find out, she had an opening for a foster family where you take a dog (in this case, a pretty 10-month old) and when it comes time to breed her, they take her back. After she has her babies they spay her, and she’s ours to keep for good! So we would get her for free, AND they even take her when we go on vacation! HOT DOG!:) Plus, if for any reason it doesn’t work out, we can give her back at any time. However, we look at it like a marriage…you never go into it thinking about divorce, so for us that wouldn’t even really be an option again. So, it looks like our 1-2 year plan has been drastically moved up! After so much talking about it though, we are all getting really excited. We’ve seen her picture and she’s coming this weekend for a “trial” to see if we are a good match. We’ve just about sucked the Internet dry of information (from health concerns, to temperament, to life span, etc) so really do feel prepared. This is a big step for our family and I’m very anxious about Friday. I will keep you posted! Here is a picture of a bulldog…how can you not love this!?
Leave a Reply