When I finished graduate school, I moved back home with my parents for several months in the hopes of quickly finding a job. Getting another dog in their already multi-dog household was not an option. Several months later, with the job prospects looking bleak, and a sparkly new engagement ring on my hand, we decided to move in together. This meant moving into a small one bedroom condo. Again, not ideal for a dog. After getting a job and working there for several more months, we decided to upgrade that condo to our very first home. Yay! But, we were also in the middle of planning a wedding and honeymoon, bringing lots of chaos into our lives already. Certainly a dog would not help the situation.
When IS a good time to get a dog? I don't think there ever is a perfect time. Just like having kids. Of course, I haven't HAD kids, so this is just my blissfully-ignorant opinion, but I imagine that with dogs, just like with kids, you become ready when you NEED to be ready.
We needed to fix the fence.
We needed to think about our schedules.
We needed to buy gates/crates/bowls/leashes/beds/toys/etc./etc./etc. (getting a dog is not cheap, people!)
Three weeks ago we made necessary repairs to the fence. Anything else, we reasoned, was not quite as imperative.
Two weeks ago we jumped in the car and drove to the shelter. We convinced ourselves that we were mostly going to look. To meet some of the faces we had glanced at via the website. To see how the shelter was set-up. To find out if any of the pooches we thought were the cutest would fit into our family. We said that we wouldn't come home with a dog automatically, but only if we could find one that was "just right." We said all these things, but we knew deep down that there was not a chance in hell that we would come away without a leash in hand.
We went in with a list. A list of 7 dogs. The shelter staff eliminated 5 based on personality alone (we wanted a dog that was known to get along well with children--I have a nephew--and other dogs), leaving us with 2 options.
Sadie was a 2 year old American Bulldog/Boxer mix. Sounded right up our alley as we are lovers of all ugly dogs. My heart aches at the site of English Bulldogs, Chinese Shar-Pei, French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers--anything a little bit ugly and a lot cute. My husbands just LOVES Bull Terriers with their odd football-shaped heads. We met this ugly dog and, as expected, thought she was super cute. We took her for a walk. She was very calm. Very mild-mannered. I secretly wondered if she would have enough energy for my husband's tastes.
Goldie was a 1 year old AmStaff mix. She was adorable. Very friendly, very playful. But then a Beagle puppy strolled by and Goldie became uncontrollable--lunging and barking. This was the same puppy that she had just been playing with and it certainly did not seem like she was playing now. Hmmm...
We went back and asked to see Sadie again. She was so sweet. And mellow. Certainly she would warm up once she was given a chance???
Yes, we took her home. I handed over my credit card to pay the adoption fee and we brought her out to the car for our hour-long drive home. After a quick conversation on a name change, since she didn't seem to be responding to Sadie anyway, she promptly fell asleep.
We got her home and I gave her a bath to get the shelter stink off of her. She didn't fuss at all. That night we went for a nice walk and she slept on her new bed right next to ours.
My husband commented the next day that I should not be offended, but that our house now felt more like a home. I agreed.
Here's our new girl--Meet Lita.
(You didn't really like the name Sadie anyway, did you?)
(Snoozing on the car ride home--a girl after my own heart.)
(Waiting with my husband and observing other pups in the Petsmart parking lot while I grab a few necessities.)
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