My house has been a house full of pets since my kids were young. At the beginning of last year, we had a total of six dogs and a cat.
That number quickly dropped. Reeses and Tiger died the same
weekend and devastated our family. Then a few months later Mabel finally
succumbed after fighting liver problems for three years. Lastly, Hmwun went
back to his first owner, a man Hmwun adores. He is old, lonely, and adores
Hmwun too. (Jerry is still able to see him regularly.)
This left us with just Ivan, Gunner, and Xavier. All of
which are solidly senior dogs. Ivan and Xavier probably have several years left
but Gunner is already at the edge of his life expectancy and has liver issues
(like Mabel).
After so much loss last year, we decided to hold off getting
a new member of the family for a bit.
Well, now it’s well over a year after Reeses and Tiger died,
and I’ve been thinking about it. I don’t ever want my house to be without our
fur family members so eventually, we’ll have to get one, or two, or maybe more.
This has led me to consider what type of pet I want.
I considered getting a cat. Said cat would have to be fine
with dogs. My issue would be the need for litter boxes and thereby cleaning
them regularly. That being said, this cat person probably won’t be getting one
anytime soon. I also rejected getting a caged animal of any kind because of the
need to regularly clean said cages.
Dogs, on the other hand, while there is some necessity to clean
up after them, it is not anything I specifically have to do. I could even hire
someone to clean up the backyard if need be.
The issue with dogs is they come in all sizes with a variety
of breed-specific traits. I therefore put some thought into what type of dogs I
would consider.
I don’t want a large dog like Hmwun. He is large enough to
look me directly in the eyes while still on all four paws. He is also very enthusiastic
with his greetings. I did not relish the thought of someone that large knocking
me over while attempting to be playful.
Gunner is only medium-sized. I can stand beside him and
easily pet him without bending over. He is also a good 50 pounds and loves to
climb in Melinda’s lap. I wouldn’t be comfortable with even a medium-sized dog attempting
that with me.
Mabel was a smaller dog, but still over twenty pounds, which
is also about the same size as Xavier. Having either one of them try to climb
into my non-existent lap is too much.
Ivan, by contrast, is little, under 10 pounds. Plus, he
loves to snuggle up to his person. For this reason, most of the breeds I’ve
considered are smaller ones.
I’ve also looked into what traits each breed has. I know
some dogs need to herd and others have more guarding tendencies. Some are super
friendly with everyone while others tend to be aggressive with strangers. And,
of course, all dogs have their personalities to go with any in-bred traits.
Outside of these considerations are the grooming needs of
each breed.
Some breeds require daily brushing, regular bathing, and
frequent nail and/or fur trimmings. Some breeds shed more than others.
Understandably, I’d prefer one that didn’t need extensive grooming routines.
There is so much to consider.
Jerry, on the other hand, just wants a dog and he likes
large ones. So now we have Lakota. A German Shepard-Pyrenees mix, an
intelligent, guarding breed. She needs daily walks, regular brushing, and other
extensive grooming measures.
So everything I didn’t want in a pet.
She adores Jerry and Melinda but will run from anyone with
facial hair or a top knot. Our boys rarely shave and I keep my long hair
corralled in a top knot most of the time.
Lakato will run from me if I try to feed her and she won’t
get in my bed unless Jerry is nearby. She similarly avoids Royce and growled at
Tony. Though, the funniest thing about her is how intelligent she is. On her
very first night here she figured out that she couldn’t sleep anywhere in my path
to the bathroom because I would come, often, day and night. It’s also funny to
see her dashing under Jerry’s desk when I walk into the room.
She also follows Jerry everywhere. I used to have a little
grey shadow (Mabel). Jerry now has a large white one (Lakota).
I’m still thinking about a dog, but one of the best breeds
for me is Chihuahua. Ivan is the only one I’ve ever liked.
Smile. Make the day a brighter day.
