Are You Sure?

My question of the day is, "Are you sure that you are ready for a dog?" That could even be turned around to ask, "Are you sure that a dog is ready for you?" I ask because we considered long and hard about taking on the responsibility. We both are dog lovers. Our working hours did not allow for a dog. We had no one to let the dog out during the day. Then how would he get exercise? You need to think this through because responsibility does not just mean feed and water him. There are so many other things to consider and many of them costs money. Vet bills, groomers, their bed, crate, or cushion, obedience school, toys, nutritional food, monthly meds for fleas/ticks and heartworm. The list goes on.

If you think that you can get a puppy, buy the necessary items and go off and about your day, just check out the picture above. The separation anxiety and boredom caused this little pup to try to eat through the door that you went out when you left him. He did not mean to. He was only trying to get to you. 

Dogs are curious creatures. They all have their own personalities and when we picked ours out (or we are now thinking that he picked us out) we must love them unconditionally. They depend on us to survive. The reason that they make it through their puppy years is that they are so dang cute. 

Such as this little French bulldog who literally can't get up. It is like the commercial that says, "Help, I have fallen and I can't get up."

This little guy is so worn out, he does not have the energy to even eat.

How about the big bad Roomba vacuum that has this pup hiding so that he will not be attacked.

This little guy is just trying to be helpful with the dishes. Check out his face.  Can you be mad at a face like that?

Left on their own, they can get into a heap of trouble. Such as rolling around in the sidewalk chalk, chewing one of your pillows to get all of the feathers out or even in their crate chewing their own bedding to shreds. Then looking at you as if to say, "It wasn't me." Luckily, the last picture of the one that got a ball stuck on his head was not injured. They are just like toddlers. We learned early that we can't take our eyes off of our puppy or any of the above pictures could have happened in our home or even more! Puppy proofing your home is as tough as baby proofing them.

We did find an indestructible bed for his crate and to have outside of his crate, also. (Let me add, that he went through three before we found it.

We also have so far been lucky enough to get the bee away from our dog before he tried to eat it. This poor puppy was not so lucky. His snout is very swollen from the bee sting. Ours has brought in a very long worm to play with. He was not trying to hurt it. Just watching it crawl along, but unfortunately, his big ol'paws kind of smushed him, accidentally.

There is one very important lesson that we learned from Davis, our very own puppy. Do not let him near a mud puddle. He wallows in it. We checked his papers one more time from the breeder. Yes, his mother was a standard poodle and his father was an English golden retriever. Nowhere does it say pig, hog or boar. We still loved our muddy mess of a furball. Thank goodness there was a hose nearby.

Dogs can teach us very important lessons. An article that I read by Dana Riley stated some of these lessons that she learned from her beloved dog when she had to say goodbye to him. It is always hard to say goodbye to our furbabies. They become such a part of the family. So in memorial of Capra, her furbaby, I will share these lessons with you and hope that you agree, especially if you are a dog owner.

There is great beauty in the quiet stillness.Let it envelop you.

• Sniff it. Touch it. Feel it. Taste it. Hear it. Engage all your senses in the world around you.
• Plunge in. You can always get out and shake it off.
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• Don't be afraid. Just stand your ground.And bark loudly when truly necessary--especially if a big ol' bear is in your backyard.  
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• Trust that most people have an innate goodness.
• Forgive fully -- and let it go.
• Love is truly unconditional. If it has conditions, it isn't really love.
• Accept the inevitable with peace and grace  --  even while the vet it taking your temperature.
• It's OK to feel sadness, but remember that joy is just a squirrel chase away.  

• Live in the moment. Embrace it. Feel it. Become it. Share it. 

After all, life is not about the quantity of moments; it's about appreciating the quality of moments. If you are contemplating getting a dog, please take it seriously, as you will be sharing your moments with another living creature who will love you unconditionally. The two of us always want to make sure that Davis feels that love from us.