Friday, May 22, 2009

And just when you think you have won....

My Husband's one wish in our 18 years of marriage has been a dog...

Seriously. And despite my being a stick in the mud for 18 years, he has remained married to me.

I do not want to wash one, pick up poop....I have no idea where I would find the time for a dog. I barely have time to raise feral children. I suppose, it would ensure a walk daily.

However, I am losing the vote for a dog in the house. So my guess is, it will happen some time in the next year.

The Husband wants a gun dog. PN a poodle, SR wants a Turkish van cat, because he thinks a swimming cat would be the shiz. (Only my son would want a swimming cat)

I wanted an Italian Spinone, since I cannot steal Charlie.

I just do not EVER want to find dog poop in my house. I do not want a dog to spill water on my computer.

I do not want a digger, or an escape artist. I never want to chase after a dog. No thanks.

I was an accidental pet owner as a child. I was the child that brought home a 3 legged dog, and a tailess cat, a frog that had a hook in him. I was that kid....

9 comments:

Tammi said...

Yeah....you're pretty much out voted darlin'.

But a swimming cat? Gotta tell you, no surprise there at all.

hehehehe. you are so chasin' a puppy. Pickin' up poop, fillin' in holes. I know...remember.

Bless your heart. :-)

LeeAnn said...

H wants a dog like a fat kid wants pie, and while we can't have one yet (rental issues), we've finally decided when time comes, we're going greyhound. We'll adopt a retired racing greyhound... a couch potato that loves to run and romp when it's the right time to do so.
Good luck with finding harmony with your dog. I know I'll only get one for the look of joy on H's face. I kinda think it might be your reason too.

Guard Wife said...

I find that the rescue dogs & the pound dogs have made the very best matches in my home--save the computer incident which I blame on male hormones which I quickly extinguished as I do all the others. Bwa-ha-ha-ha. Ahem.

Just look long & hard & seek an experienced person to help you make a match. TELL THEM THE TRUTH about your family, your lifestyle, etc. and they can find you a dog (or swimming cat) in their program that meets your needs. They all poop, though, which is why we don't do puppies anymore. :)

Bou said...

I may be losing that argument as well. My stance is, I want an older dog as I never want to potty train another mammal, it needs to be a girl, since we had a problem with a boy dog becoming too possessive of me, and it has to be old enough that it will probably be about to die when Bones goes to college.

If it could hunt and kill subterranian termites, it would be a shoe in.

Princess Cat said...

You've picked a jumper ... be prepared to be unable to fence it in!

Some Soldier's Mom said...

any dog will do so long as you take human training for dogs... a dog responds to its environment -- if you leave things around for it to chew, it will chew. if it is bored, it will roam. if it is not neutered it will mark in the house (males) and will jump or dig to get to the closest female. if it is not walked regularly, it will go wherever it is when it has to go (when you have to go, you have to go). the human control of the dog's environment is key to your and his/her survival and happiness.

Dogs are wonderful companions and (literally) live to have humans tell them "good dog". They would also die for their masters to protect them (this goes for PN & SR)... and the most effective deterrent to home invaders is THE BARKING DOG.

You might consider adopting a reject from police dog school (fully trained but did not meet the standards for police work) or one of the dogs trained by prison inmates... having had many dogs, I vote yellow lab (loyal, easily trainable, gun dog, short hair) or a shepherd... or the Portuguese Water dog -- a water/gun dog but nearly hypoallergenic for the allergy prone -- but then people would think you were admiring the president... and lastly -- whatever you do: buy from a reputable breeder... they have the least congenital problems, sometimes will take the dog back (no refund though) in case it doesn't work out and no puppy mill conditions... contact the local AKC for a list of the breeders of your chosen breed in your area.

Some Soldier's Mom said...

ps... the gardens are GORGEOUS!! can't wait to see them!!

Sarah said...

I didn't want a dog either. It was my husband's deal, not mine.

We got Charlie.

I never thought I'd do the following: clean ears, trim the hairs on his crotch, void anal glands, brush teeth, scoop up barf, not care that he peed all over me when he was sick, etc.

I have very little interest in other people's dogs, but I would do anything for mine.

Kinda reminds me of how I've heard you speak of your kids.

You may end up like me...

Chuck said...

BIL Trains dogs, and is an exceptional handler. With very few exceptions, all dogs are good pets, and can be trained to behave according to your wishes.

Having said that, if a lab were running toward my kids, I'd giggle and get a ball. If it were a rottie or pit bull, I'd draw and empty the magazine.

Some men will claim to like small dogs, as a means to getting the wife to relent so they can eventually get a "real" dog. When women ain't around, men giggle at the thought of punting small dogs.

My personal favorite breed is a lab, have owned yellow and black, and found them to be loyal, loving, trustworthy, extremely tolerant of small kids, will chew your house to pieces when they are puppies if not monitored, but can be trained so easily to be such good dogs.

They're also natural swimmers and hunters, and awesome for field work.