Friday, March 28, 2008

Call him crazy
After we moved into our house, we soon discovered that one of our neighbors is the proud owner of a Golden Retriever puppy named Captain. We met our four legged neighbor after we found out that our hedge in the backyard has some holes in it large enough for Buddha to get out & explore our neighbors yards, as well as Captain sneaking through to taunt Old Man Buddha.

We were quick to buy a lead for Buddha so he is leashed in the backyard & can't escape, but Captain still comes over to hang out (which I really don't mind). Buddha & Captain get along well. Well, it's more like Buddha tolerates the other dog since he's an old Pug that doesn't play. Logan however, is thrilled when Captain is in our backyard visiting, often running from window to window, pounding on the sliding glass door & screaming with excitement. The other night we left the back door open & found Captain in our kitchen hanging out. That was all sorts of excitement.

After finding Captain in our house, Bill told me he wanted to get a puppy. "Think long & hard about that one", I told him. It would be a whole lot of work & really, this is not the time to do it. We have a crazy toddler who isn't potty trained yet & loves to feed his food to the one dog we do have. Then, we're expecting a newborn in which case we'll have less time & attention to give a puppy. Lastly, I'll be the one taking care of it during the day since Bill is at work. I would rather not have to worry about Logan, a baby, an incontinent Pug & a new puppy. That's just insane.

While no definite decision has been made, Bill has been looking through ads for puppies. I'm really leaning towards waiting until the baby is walking (or really, running). Bill thinks it would be a good idea because it would take some of the attention off of Buddha, who has been harassed & relentlessly chased around the house by Logan since our move. We also can't agree on what kind of dog we would like to get. Bill wants a Lab. I say I want a Great Dane (although that's a terrible idea & I know this). Really, we need to find a small to medium dog that's easy to take care of. But the fact that I've even given it this much thought is ridiculous. We simply can't get a puppy right now. It would be a huge mistake & it wouldn't be fair to the new dog, but everyone else in the house too.

This is the first time in my life that I'm saying no to getting a new pet.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I totally get what you're saying. We're going to look at dogs today and may well be coming home with one. And this dog will certainly end up mine, and I'm not 100% sure i can handle a dog with both boys. It's probably time to get one, though, and I don't think waiting will make the decision any easier. You probably made the best decision for your situation, and maybe you'll feel up to re-evaluating it in a few months once you've adjusted to having a baby around again.

Holly said...

We were in the same position and ended up waiting. But if you do decide do it soon, so the pup can be housetrained by the time the baby is born. I reccommend beagles. Our Chloe is VERY patient with our toddler. They are great family dogs and a lot smaller and calmer then a lab.

Anonymous said...

Just thought I would give you a word of advice.My BIL has a great dane 240 pounds.He is very gentle with the kids but their tails are dangerous.Just wagging its tail and hitting my leg left a bruise.They have a fish tank that is around 100 gallons the dogs tail hit it with such strength that it cracked the fish tank.They are loving dogs,but they are so big they can be scary around little kids.Just thought I would give you something to think about.Hope you are feeling better.

Alicia said...

After all of your irrationality concerning your in-laws, I think you are right to tell your husband no dog. You already have enough on your plate and with a new baby coming and a toddler I would have to agree with you, however, you better make sure your hubby is on the same page, because if he's looking at puppies in the paper, he's gonna come home with one!

Kristin said...

Jesus Christ. Drop it with the in-laws already.