As if we don't have enough to do already, we got a puppy. We both were thinking we'd like a dog that was under three but preferably under two years old. We did NOT intend to get a puppy. The day started out around 10:30. Had to stop at the brew store for butter muslin and stuff for P to brew beer for his cousin's birthday. Headed to the co-op to get some organic greens for dinner. Stopped at the bank and had lunch at a yummy bakery in town. The ciabatta was to die for - turkey, carmelized onions and brie, grilled to perfection. And to top it off, a sour cherry chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. Now we are really ready for looking at dogs!
Went to the city animal shelter and didn't see any that were the right age or size. I didn't want a HUGE dog and P didn't want a TINY dog. So it had to be somewhere in the middle. We took with us the youngest kid who is the most nervous around dogs. So if she got along well with it, that would make it a contender!
We decided to move on to another animal shelter about 20 minutes north. There we saw several dogs that were possibilities. One was a doberman/hound mix and was a sweet dog but the kiddo was a little nervous, as was the dog. The next was a white shepherd mix who was shedding so bad it made me write her off immediately. Cat hair is bad enough. I don't want to have to deal with long white dog hair! Plus she was a crotch sniffer. Couldn't seem to keep her nose out of other's "business". Oh, and she was mouthy, biting our hands. Kiddo was ok with her but the dog had 3 strikes against her.
The last dog we saw was a 4 month old lab/shar pei mix named Opal. The kiddo took to her right away. And unlike most puppies I've met, she came calmly over and wagged her tail and sniffed us. No barking, jumping, whining, hand gnawing or licking. I wasn't sure if P was ok with a puppy, and I could tell he was wondering the same about me. We kept giving each other funny looks, trying to assess what the other was thinking. Finally the woman showing us the dogs gave us a few mintues to talk about it. We both felt that her personality was worth putting the energy into training a puppy. So we took the plunge and got a puppy together. I guess that means we are stuck with each other now that we've committed to 15 years with a dog!
Now the thing about Opal that made it a harder decision was the fact that she was itchy. Oh so itchy. Can barely stop itching long enough to play. They had tested her for both kinds of mange and parasites and all came back negative. She'd been bathed and tried on two different medications. So not only are we committing to spending a good chunk of our lives with a dog, we are also potentially looking at medical expenses trying to determine why she is itchy. However, a little internet research shows that shar pei's often have food allergies. So we switched her to a grain free food and now we just wait and see. We have made a vet appointment for her so we can get some more expert advice if it turns out not to be an allergy.
I have wanted a dog for years. When I was pregnant with my son, and my ex-husband was 300 miles away at school, I was seriously considering fostering dogs. That didn't happen because being pregnant just takes a lot out of a woman. Once my son hit 3 years old and discovered dogs, he's been asking for one ever since. I seriously considered it again after my divorce. I was out on my own and could make my own decisions and my son would have benefitted from it. However the landlord (who shared the property with us at the time) had a dog, that my son spent lots of time with. So I tabled the idea.
Here I am, 2 1/2 years later, with a dog. Funny thing about it is that we got goats, chickens and another cat before getting a dog. For some reason I was thinking that a dog just requires too much work. However, when I look at all the time we put into the goats, a dog pales in comparison. Plus, a dog we can take with us and is much easier to find someone to care for when it's time to take a vacation. Have you ever tried to find a goat sitter? Especially someone who actually has to MILK the goats?
The best things about getting Opal so far are:
1. Realizing that I am with a man who actually LIKES dogs.
2. The kids LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE her (and my son can finally stop begging for a dog).
3. She has not barked once in the 48 hours she's been home.
~T
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