In a nutshell - thoughts on a new dog, just thoughts in general.

[angelak]

I have restarted this entry a few times in the last 30 seconds. Oops.
Today, I owe it to myself to work out. ;) Last night I did much of nothing other than eating ice cream, which doesn't particularly agree with me. Oops.

But other than that and not studying Russian, I napped and just generally hung out with Jim for the evening. And today, I want be more productive. It has been hard to keep the motivation up with Yoga. I lose motivation when I cannot stick to the same things, and I've been really rotating my workout setup.
Between mild runs, the elliptical trainer, circuit training, and yoga. It's a lot for me to handle ;)
And sometimes I've been a little less focused than I have been the last 3 years. I'm not sure why. It may just be a place I'm in right now.

I suppose that is okay. Anyway, today I have other ideas. Good ones. Including building a vision board, and possibly discussing dog-ideas with Jim. In March it will have been the 1 year mark for Rufus and his exit from this World and his entrance on the other side. I have wanted another dog at times. And other times what we have with Fritz is fine. Unfortunately, when I was ready for another dog, the breeder situations weren't panning out and stuff just got in the way. And then I was distracted by Sasha, travel, and really focusing on this, that, and the other.

We'll see what happens, but I'm wondering if perhaps an older dog solution, the same one I had in my mind for a year or two prior to Rufus dieing might be the ticket. I'm not sure what breed anymore. I was thinking a larger breed briefly, was thinking a Dachshund yet again briefly, and now I'm just not sure. The right dog has to choose me at this point. In a way, I only considered a puppy because Jim wanted that experience. Seeing as it was my baby, my primary sweet angel that passed away, today I had the thought that perhaps I should treat it like that, instead of adjusting what I want for what someone else wants...

And if we went with what I have wanted for a 2-3 years now, it would be an older (2-3) larger breed dog. Yes, there's the puppy thing. But who really WANTs the puppy thing, and who isn't in the habit of letting his own sweet dog out nearly as often as he would need to take care of a puppy? I fear that if I went the puppy route for someone else's experience, I would then end up paying in greater labor just because that is how things go sometimes.

So there it is. Some thoughts I've been having. And no, I am still not in a hurry for this new addition. I haven't been this whole time, which is probably why we still remain a single dog family.

-Angela

Comments

[nobodyberry.livejournal.com]

That's a good point you make about Jim being the one who really wants the puppy. And it seems as though Jim has his animal companion at this point in time. I think you mentioned once that you tend to favor purebreds (or maybe I'm just making that up), but I would recommend at least visiting some rescue organizations. Spending time with those animals will benefit them no matter what, and it may help you figure out what you are ultimately looking for.

Purebreds

[ithisia.livejournal.com]

Typically I haven't gone the rescue option for a few reasons (unlike kitties, dogs who end up in the rescue places tend to be imbalanced). Dogs show their emotional problems differently of course.

Cesar Mulan (Dog whisperer guy) has a whole slough of stuff about that (which is why I typically don't go that direction - not Cesar, but our own personal experience with it) - HOWEVER, that being said, Fritz was an imbalanced dog as Cesar calls it.

Did you know before Rufus I had a rescue dog? I was in love with him, but ultimately he had issues and we eventually got rid of him. His name was Chip, he was a Lhasa Apso, and I took him through obedience school and was the top of the class because he and I were that awesome. (Thought I'd share a little something new for you! hahah! CAUGHT YA with a new info-byte~! w00t).

I have thought about going to the rescue places, yes. Although I brought up some some with Jimmers today, it would seem when I brought up some house breaking situations, he focused on house breaking being the issue and less the fact that I'm looking/wanting perhaps something else. Problem being... I was not direct and simple enough. We'll see though. I might still be inclined obviously to check out the rescues to see what is out there at some point. The reason I am tempted by that (several) research being one of them, but also, it has a potential for a right now scenario, that I feel like the breeders are not currently offering me! Ugh.

I'm still getting pretty mixed emotions about the dog thing. Like it's "too big" of a commitment to decide on, feels overwhelming instead of exciting. Which is kind of a bummer. Because that typically means it's not the right time yet.

But then again who knows. It's sort of like my energy around everything right now. Back and forth. Yikes.

-Angela

Re: Purebreds

[nobodyberry.livejournal.com]

Well, rescue kitties can certainly have their share of issues. This I know from experience. But yes, that is a valid concern regardless.

(And no, I did not know about your previous rescue dog! Fun fact!)

I do certainly believe there will be a right dog and a right time, both of which you will know. But visiting a good, no-kill shelter can be very therapeutic for all involved, especially when you're not sure you want to commit just yet. We have a lot of people come in where I volunteer, simply to get their "kitty fix."

And maybe doing a visit like that with Jim would help you find an example of what you're really wanting and convey that to him. "See Jim, this age/size/etc is similar to what I would like..."