I have this dog. I love this dog. I volunteer to walk dogs at the animal shelter. I always wanted a dog. I am not a dog person.
It took getting a dog for me to realize I am not a dog person. I knew I loved cats. I loved cats all my life. I was a crazy cat child. I would have had 30 cats if it weren't for that pesky mother of mine that didn't let me have even one until I was nearly a teen. But I like all other animals too (except for those snakes), and I really liked dogs too.
Dogs always seemed like a helluva lot of fun to me. Other people who had dogs always seemed to have such a good time. Dogs are happy. Dogs are playful. Dogs make you have to get your lazy ass off the couch and walk them and play with them and get your blood circulating. There seemed to be few down sides to having a dog if you took the time to train it.
I started visiting the local Humane Society's web site after finding a link to it through the Puppy Cam site. I fawned over all the cute dog pictures and started working on J to get a dog. He seemed pretty solid in his position that we could not get a dog until we owned a house. I got the kids involved in my quest for dog ownership, but it did not sway him. Renting = no dog. Even the desperate pleas from L didn't convince him, and he's a real sucker for that girl. But I kept on looking at dogs and hoping the perfect dog would come along� a dog he couldn't resist.
So one day, a German Shepherd mix dog comes up on the web page. She was good with kids and cats while staying overnight (Yeah, I know� one night means nothing. I find that out.) at a volunteer's house. She was stray and very skinny. I sent the link to J at work. To my surprise, he told me to call the landlord and ask if it would be ok. He also warned that landlord's ok did not mean his ok, but he was considering it. The kids' birthdays were coming up, and though we wouldn't be getting the dog for their birthdays, it would be a nice addition.
To make a long story short, J caved, we got the dog, she attacked my cat, she ended up biting L, we took her back. I cried like a baby, even though that dog was an unbelievable amount of stress on me. She had issues. I knew dogs could have behavior problems, but issues? I ended up learning more about dogs than I ever thought I could. I know way too much information on separation anxiety and retraining. All the information wasn't going to keep me from worrying the dog might hurt my child though. The bite wasn't vicious, but who could guarantee it wouldn't be the next time.
I thought I read enough information before I got the dog, but I was wrong. I just read some things about training and what you need to have. I was ready to walk the dog and take her out to go potty. I was going to be a good doggie mommy. But it was no different from thinking you're ready to be a parent. You can read all you want, but the minute you need any information, you either didn't read the right things, or you don't remember a damn thing. When we got the dog, I read a million more things and realized this whole "pack" thing was more than I wanted in a pet. I didn't want another baby, but I got one. It just had fur, and it was BIG.
We ended up getting another dog. Two months later, we still have her. She is doggie lite (smaller, without the issues!) compared to the other, but I'm still a cat person. I don't want to be in a pack. I don't want to be alpha dog. I want to sleep in on the weekend. The kids are happy, and J is happy, and I really do love the dog. Now I just have to stick it out for 10-15 years.
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One Year Ago Today:
