The dilemma of choosing a dog.

 

This is exactly what we are going through at the moment.  We are in the process of choosing a dog.  We haven’t had a dog in awhile, and instead of it being a very easy job, it is turning into such a hard task.  You see I want a Cavalier King Charles.  I have loved them since I was 14 and think they are not only gorgeous little dogs, but excellent with kids.  On the other hand,  hubby wants a Beagle.  Now Aiden, my eldest does not really mind as long as it is either one, but Lauryn wants a Beagle.  Even my bloody brother said to get a Beagle. 

We are doing the rounds of looking into breeders at the moment and are very lucky to have close friends who breed Bull Terriers.  They have given us a lot of information about the two breeds and where to get them from.  But we still have not decided on what dog.   No-one in the family can make up their minds.

Now, I personally think that hubby should not have much of a say.  You see, our last dog, was actually my hubbys before we met.  “Bear” was a huge meat mutt of a dog, but the most placid, loyal, gorgeous dog you can ever find.  I still remember the early days, and always knowing when hubby was on his way up the street.  You see we had a old car at the start and it was a bit squeaky.  Well, Bear knew that squeak two streets away, and everytime he would hear it, you would see him go from the back door, bolting through to the front door, barking, then running back and forth to me and the front door, until Don opened it.  The dog was absolutely crazy, but gave us so much joy.  We unfortunatly lost him due to some unforseen circumstances about 8 years ago, and it has been a very long process for my husband, to move on and get a new dog.

Which brings me back to the who topic of conversation.  How can such a small job, take up almost every waking, thinking moment.  This is the checklist for getting a new dog. 

1. Does it have any medical conditions?  
2. Is it good with children? 
3. Is it easily trained
4. Is it high maintenance? 
5. How big does it grow? 
6. Will it eat a lot? 
7. What will the vet bills be like? 
8. Can we have it on our property? 
9. Colouring
10. Male or Female
11. Cute Factor

I, for one am very excited about getting a new dog.  I have missed the company of our beloved “Bear” and see all the cute dogs around the area going for walks, and cannot wait to do that.  But alas, once we choose the dog, you know what the next drama will be.  The name picking.  I want ‘Sasha’ or ‘Penny’ for a King Charles, or ‘Lou’ for the Beagle.  The family like ‘Mr Muggles’, ‘Buggles’, good old ‘Rover and Rex’.  As you can see, the whole dog buying thing can be so time consuming.

Ah well, having a little doggy runing around the house will be worth all the stress.  Now if we can just get the kids, to clean up after it, that will make things even better.   Wait!!! they are kids, what I am thinking.