The Decision to Get a Puppy

Before the chew toys, the crate, the leash and collar, my husband and I had several debates over whether or not to get a dog.  I am admittedly one of those people who would like to adopt every animal on the street, but fortunately my husband helps to keep my animal hoarding tenancies at bay.  In fact, the puppy would only be our second pet.

I recently said this, in regard to the decision to adopt a pup:

For the longest time I had two voices on the issue.  The first voice, my inner animal lover, said, “You’ll be saving a life and getting years of fulfilling companionship.”  The second and more practical voice countered with, “Only when you buy a house with a reasonable yard.  No, that’s not big enough, wait until the next house and try again.”  So when we moved into our second home, the animal-lover said, “Okay, now we can get a puppy.  I’ve met your criteria.”  To which the voice of reason said, “That yard is sufficient, but now you are working very long hours. This isn’t the time to get a puppy.”  It was true, I was commuting nearly four hours on top of managing a heavy workload. And then everything changed.

My husband’s job relocation allowed me to quit my demanding job and move into a home on a 3 acre lot.  The voice of reason had run out of excuses, and the more passive animal-lover said, “It’s time!” When the local animal shelter posted newborn Labrador-Weimaraner puppies, I knew the stars had truly aligned.  (Source: Home Ec Engineer)

And so we decided to add one more to our little family.  I was excited, my husband was supportive, and the cat was apprehensive at best.  This is my record of the many experiences, emotions, and lessons learned while raising our dog.