How do you know when it’s time to get a dog?
My husband and I have a Thanksgiving tradition of watching The National Dog Show. It started by chance about six years ago. All of the children had other commitments, so we were treating ourselves to a night at the Grand America. We were enjoying the room and killing time until dinner, so we turned the television on. There was The National Dog Show. We enjoyed it so much, we’ve watched it ever since.
This year was bittersweet, since we lost our sweet Charlie Dog last March, and of course, watching all those dogs (especially the Cavalier King Charles) made us think of Charlie…our many happy memories, but also how much we miss him.
It made me wonder if we are ready to bring another dog into our family…not to replace Charlie of course; there’s no replacement for Charlie…but to welcome a new love into our home and perhaps fill some of the void Charlie left.
To have a dog or not to have a dog…that is the question
Cons
- What if we don’t have the same bond with another dog as we did Charlie?
- What if we do? I’m not sure either one of us are prepared to go through the pain of losing another beloved dog.
- I want to see the world. Having responsibility for a dog makes travel more difficult.
- Our Southern Utah xeriscape yard isn’t conducive to a dog playing free.
- Dogs can be expensive…as we found out with Charlie’s knee surgeries and heart medicine.
Pros
- There is nothing like the pure joy of a dog waiting excitedly for you every time you come home.
- Lots of laughter…dog antics are the best.
- The love in a dog’s eyes. I don’t know what else I can say about that.
- Petting a dog soothes the most frazzled nerves and comforts sorrow and fear. We only half-jokingly called Charlie our therapy dog. We sure could have used him during this pandemic.
- We have lots of love to give.
Where does that leave me? (And by me, I mean us…Larry and I.) Are we ready for the responsibility of loving another dog? Can we give another dog the life he or she deserves and still chase our dreams?
And if we say, “Yes,” where do we find the dog that is meant for us? I’ve been telling myself when the time is right, the Universe will bring us the dog that is ready for us…that we are meant for. Do I sit back and wait for the Universe or is the Universe expecting me to do the work?
Your turn
- Do you have a pet? What kind?
- Any advice on how to decide when the time is right and how to find the perfect match?
- What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love to hear from you.
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Photo source: Kenzi Penney. The model is our beloved Charlie Dog.
I had not had a dog in years after the pom passed. In August I got a Boston Terrier. She was 3 months old when we brought her home. A pup from my Daughter’s dog. My concerns were potty training. The dog has been lots of company for us & helped motivate me to do more walking.
I’m glad to hear the new puppy worked out for you, Karen. How was the potty training? That is a big deal. When we got Charlie as a puppy, we were lucky enough to have the help of our daughter who had experience training dogs professionally. We also found puppy classes so helpful for socialization. Charlie was such a good dog and so loving. We really miss him.
Thanks for bringing Charlie Dog into our lives! Still find myself leaving that crumb or the popcorn on the floor knowing it will get cleaned up by Charlie. We will know when’s it’s right, and when that time comes, it will be spoiled rotten just as Charlie Dog.❤️❤️
I was so hesitant to get a dog. I didn’t want the mess or the responsibility, but I knew how much you wanted one. As usual, you were right. ? Charlie was spoiled, but he spoiled us too for nearly 15 years. XOXO
A pandemic where we are all supposed to stay home as much as possible is a great time to get a dog! If you are not sure if you are ready to commit to a permanent addition, might I suggest fostering? The Humane Society is always in need of people to help foster their homeless dogs. That way you “can dip a toe” back in the dog parent waters and determine if you are ready to commit, all while doing a great service to a dog in need!
An interesting idea, Jessi. If you fall in love with your foster dog, is there an opportunity to adopt them? I presume that’s the point, but am not sure how that works. I’ll do some research on that idea. Thanks!
You absolutely can adopt your foster pet. It’s called “foster failing”, but it sounds like a win win to me! ?
Foster failing–that’s a funny name, but not a bad way to fail.
I do think you will know when it is right. When we lost our beloved Ally, unexpectedly to a brain tumor, we were devastated and did the exact same pros/cons list! For months, we waffled. I missed having a dog in the house, but we also wanted the freedom of travel. And Ally was such a good dog – who would ever replace her?
And then we realized we were both starting to look at adoption sites. And Taylor came into our lives. She’s an even better dog than Ally, which is almost hard for me to say… but a more loving, calm, smart, beautiful animal has never been in our lives. We’ve even discussed the fact she might be our last dog, as who could ever be better.
And yeah. It’s become a tradition for me to watch the dog show as well… I was an avid Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade watcher and it immediately follows that here on east coast time. I chuckled at the dogs in seats posters, and that young girl showing her pet was so amazing.
That was great how they handled the lack of audience at the dog show…and for a good cause. I agree, the young girl did a wonderful job.
It warms my heart to hear how much you love Taylor. Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like you and your husband instinctively knew when the time was right. We’re in that waffling stage. How has it worked with your travel (I mean pre-pandemic, of course), and did she adjust well to having two homes?
Christie, Taylor travels wonderfully. She sleeps for most of the drive and it’s a long one (usually just over 14 hours). We walk her quickly on each pit-stop (just 5 minutes), give her water, and it’s back to sleep for her – we put her own doggie bed on the back floor of the pick-up truck (seat up).
She loves it in Florida where she can be outside more often and has a bigger back yard (and better views). Yeah, our Florida lot is bigger than our Ohio lot! We fenced a portion of the back yard so she can be free back there… it took a bit of the view away, but it’s still a great view.
With the 2 houses, we haven’t traveled much anywhere else for a while. The couple of big trips we took, we had her stay with friends. The last short trip (pre-pandemic), our neighbors watched her – letting her out in backyard for most of the day. Not sure what we’ll do in Florida when we decide to travel again.
I do think when the time is right, you and Larry will know…and then the dog for you will be there.
That’s so nice, Pat. Charlie was a good traveler too. Thanks for sharing your experience. It helps to know how other people have worked it out.
We lost our dog about 15 years ago, his name was Stetson, an American cocker. My son made me take him to the dog pound every couple of days. I finally said he could have the first dog that didn’t bark or jump on the fence. We continued going to the dog pound many times and one day this dog sat in the corner of the cage, just shaking. We fell in love and adopted him, was just perfect and had him as part of our family for 13 years. We also had a cat my daughter wanted, I didn’t. We never officially named her, so she was always just Miss Kitty. She was with our family for about 15 years and we lived her. Although we love pets, we never found the right one again. Now as another 15 years have gone by, we have enjoyed the freedom of no pets, no dog/cat hair, no cleanup. Being pet free works for us right now, but you never know ????
Hi Becky! I love the story of how you found your dog. I, too, was resistant to the idea of getting a pet–the mess and responsibility–but Larry was working from home (before everyone was!) and wanted some company during the day. I figured a dog was less trouble than a nanny! (Just kidding, Larry.?) I never expected to be so attached. Then I fell in love with Charlie. I’m still not sure what’s next, but the fact that I’m thinking about it enough to write about it, tells you something about the direction we’re headed.
We’ve decided to be pet-free ever since my cat died several years ago. We want to be able to travel – even for a few days – without having to make arraignments for its care. I do know that, at some point, I’ll want to have another furry member of our household… just not now. Like Pat said, you’ll know when it’s time.
That’s where we are now Janis, weighing the benefits of being free from the responsibility of caring for another living being and craving the love of a furry family member. It may be a while yet, but I’m sure we’ll get there at some point.
Hi Christie – our dog passed away a few years ago and we decided that we wouldn’t get another one. He gave us 14 great years, but we just don’t have the energy to give to loving a dog again. We have two cats who are more than enough for us – they are less “needy” and we don’t feel guilty if we leave them for a day or so with a neighbour checking on them. I think you sound ready to take the leap – maybe it’s time to look around and see what turns up – I believe that “God helps those who help themselves” – good luck xx
I can relate to that feeling, Leanne. We had about the same amount of time with Charlie, and we said we probably would not have another dog anytime soon. I certainly didn’t expect to even be considering it nine months later. Maybe the isolation of the pandemic softened me! ? Once it’s over, and we are traveling again, I may regret the decision to commit. Decisions. Decisions.
My advice Christie would be to go and get another dog asap. You have a lot of love to give to a four legged family member so why deprive a lucky dog of that. Don’t think of the cons list. They will work themselves out. Not sure where to get him but he will be out there. Looking forward to the introduction post with photo
Thanks for the enthusiasm, Jennifer. Things do tend to work themselves out when you go with your heart. If we move forward, you can be sure there will be photos!
I was surprised that you were thinking of getting another dog. I thought after Charlie dog you were done-because of traveling. But I can understand because I miss having a pet to snuggle. Maybe if you get one I can dog sit!
I was so heartbroken last summer when we had to put our cats to sleep after having them for 17 years. I still think we are done with pets, especially because Hannah is so allergic to them.
No one is more surprised than I am, Cindy! I had no intention of getting another pet…certainly not this soon…but I do miss the lovin’. I’ve got you on the dog sitting list. ? Ashley is allergic to cats too, but seems okay around dogs. I’m more worried about having a dog-friendly yard down south and finding the right dog, one that fits our lifestyle and that we can bond with each other.