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I Want A Puppy!

June 17th, 2006 at 04:17 am

Our dog died in April. We went to Costa Rica for a few weeks and our 9 year old sweetie hopped Big Rich's brother's fence and took a stroll on one of the busiest streets in the area. Amazingly she got pretty far before the end came. She never was very street smart.

Of course we've been sad. We had her 2 years before we had Elder Monkey. She's always just been part of the family. The Monkey's were soooo sad. Elder Monkey cried so hard I thought my heart would seriously break. Younger Monkey can't quite understand it. He just says "She died. She crash car and got brokie. Daddy can't fix her. We need a white puppy. 2 puppies" But Big Rich seems to think that we need to mourn for an extended period of time or we didn't really love her. But I just miss having a dog around.

So I checked online at all the adoption agencies in the area. I have been telling him we all want a dog. We won't be waiting long. Since I'm home I'm even willing to be the one in charge of feeding and cleaning the dog. I'm going to go check out dogs tomorrow.

I can't decide if I want a little puppy, or if I'd rather go with a young dog of a year or so. The Monkeys want a puppy. I do love puppies. But a slightly older dog will most likely have already been fixed and had shots. And I'd like a ready to go running partner. And who can forget the not having to house train and puppy proof the house part. I really wouldn't miss chewed up shoes and toys.

I had the twisted idea of giving Big Rich a dog for Father's day buy decided that would just be too mean. So we got him a heart rate monitor instead.

Am I crazy? Everyone seems to think I must be to jump back into an animal so quickly. But I've always said I would have at least one pet. I'm just an pet person.

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “I Want A Puppy!”

  1. Thrifty Ray Says:
    June 17th, 2006 at 04:26 am 1150518391
    1150518391

    Contrary to some of my posts, I, too, am a dog lover. They are great companions and really do exuberate unconditional love.

    While there are benefits to getting a slightly older dog--it also means possibly 'untraining' any bad habits.

    Then again, that puppy stage is taxing...except for the wonderful-nothing -quite-like-it 'puppy breath!'

    Good luck with your decision.

  2. shadon Says:
    June 17th, 2006 at 04:53 am 1150520031
    1150520031

    We bought a 4 week old puppy in January. Our dog of 10 years passed away in June last year and we wanted a "brother" for DS (aged 1). Olli is 6 months old now and chews everything in sight, it's driving me nuts! Do you know when they outgrow this phase? If so, that's the age I'd recommend buying a dog.

  3. dmontngrey Says:
    June 17th, 2006 at 11:32 am 1150543948
    1150543948

    Well I'm still waiting for my dog to "outgrow" whatever her problems are - she'll be THREE in a couple weeks! Personally, I will NEVER get a puppy. That just does not sound like my idea of fun. I also will never get a young dog again either. We got our dog when she was 9 months old and you can't imagine the hell it's been living with her. The damage was already done in the first 9 months of her life.

    But no, you are NOT crazy. Getting another dog now does not mean you didn't love the first one! You can still mourn you loss of your dog while having another dog. I truly think a new dog might help ease the pain a bit as well. Good luck with your decision.

  4. mjrube94 Says:
    June 17th, 2006 at 11:43 am 1150544639
    1150544639

    One source to check out, especially if you know the breed you want, is a "rescue organization". I think most breeds have them. Basically, if you buy a pure-breed and decide for whatever reason you no longer want them, rather than put them in the pound, you give them to the rescue organization, which tries to find suitable homes for them. In some cases the dogs may have attitude problems, but in many cases, death, divorce, moving, etc. put them there and they're perfectly fine. My dad has gotten 2 dogs from rescue and they're great! The fees are usually reasonable (I think they take care of shots and the like, they usually just ask for a small donation), and they're usually honest about the temperment of the dog.

    Let us know how you make out...

  5. Thrifty Ray Says:
    June 17th, 2006 at 01:18 pm 1150550336
    1150550336

    I know that labs mellow at appx age 2- especially if they've been 'fixed'. They key with dogs is making sure they know YOU are the alpha.

    There is an excellent show on "Dog Whisperer" that gives lots of techniques.

    The puppy stage is definately one that needs constant attentiveness if you want to develop good behavior.

    We got Grace (now 12) at age 1 because the prior owners (who had paid $750 for her) didn't like that she was digging in their back yard.

    At age 2, Grace mellowed (no she wasn't fixed) and became the most loving, obedient dog...that is until these last couple of years. Wink

  6. ima saver Says:
    June 17th, 2006 at 02:16 pm 1150553819
    1150553819

    It really helps getting over the lose, to get a new puppy. my first poodle died at age 20 and we got a new poodle. About 6 months before she died at age 14, we got a new puppy, Holly. It really eased the pain because we had Holly.
    Holly is tiny, about 5 pounds and potty trained real quick. I would take her out and tell her "go potty" When she did, I would bring her in and give her a treat. Within 2 weeks, she was licking her lips when she would potty and had few accidents. With a tiny dog, chewing was not much of a problem. She is a little spoiled and the boss of the family. We have never left her anywhere since we have had her, she sleeps in bed with us too!

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