That one time we almost got another puppy...
We got our dog, Reggie, about three and a half years ago as a cute little chubby puppy. He is a pure bread black lab and we had no clue what we were getting ourselves in to. At the time, I was about 4 months pregnant, neither one of us had ever owned a dog and we both worked full time jobs. The husband had always wanted a dog so when a friend on facebook posted that they had bred labs and puppies would be available it all seemed to fall in to place.
And then the puppy phase happened...crate training, getting up every 3 hours to train, teething, puppy biting, more training, losing that freedom you used to have. In the throws of it, it was super crazy and a HUGE learning experience for both of us. In the end, we have the best dog in the world and wouldn't trade any of it! We love our dog and feel like he is such an easy dog that fits so perfectly into our little life.
The last couple of months we had started talking about the possibility of adding another dog to the family. For me, this meant a playmate for Reggie...this dog LOVES other dogs, so sometimes I feel bad he doesn't have a live in playmate. This also meant a dog for Ellie (our three year old daughter) whom loves Reggie but they never really connected on the level he had with Joe and I. To Reggie, Ellie is just this thing that came in to our lives and took our attention away from him...he likes her, he tolerates her, but he doesn't really pay much attention to her. I started painting this perfect picture in my head of getting this new puppy that loved Ellie and they grow up together and play together and it would sleep in her room...and blah blah.
I started looking online for the perfect puppy...we like to get puppies so that we can train them from a young age and it is hard to find small puppies at the shelter. We aren't against finding one there, but we want them to be a puppy! I came across beagle puppies and for some reason it seemed like the best idea ever to get one. It would be a mid-size dog, I don't have anything against beagles as a breed, it was very affordable (as opposed to some other dog breeds) and so we talked about it. In true French fashion...we talked and we talked and we weighed pros and cons and we talked some more. We went back and forth...was it the right time to get a puppy, is this the right dog for our family?????!!!!???
We drove to meet the puppies and picked one out and put a deposit down....and then we came home and the next day realized it just wasn't the right time for us. We would rather be a little embarrassed to have to now go back and tell everyone we are NOT, in fact, getting a puppy then to live with something that doesn't feel completely right for our family. It was such a hard decision for me and I cried and felt terrible and prayed they would find another home for that puppy...but in the end it was a huge relief to finally decide now was not the right time...and honestly, a beagle isn't the right dog for us either. We LOVE labs! So when the time is right, we will most likely add another lab to the mix...but it probably won't be for while now.
Whew...long post about a simple story: We almost got a puppy until we decided we shouldn't...anyone else ever make a decision and then have to go back on that because it just didn't feel right. It is a tough thing to do, but in the end, I a proud of us for doing what we feel was right for our family.
PS, if anyone is interested in the beagle puppies they still have two available and you can find them HERE
And then the puppy phase happened...crate training, getting up every 3 hours to train, teething, puppy biting, more training, losing that freedom you used to have. In the throws of it, it was super crazy and a HUGE learning experience for both of us. In the end, we have the best dog in the world and wouldn't trade any of it! We love our dog and feel like he is such an easy dog that fits so perfectly into our little life.
The last couple of months we had started talking about the possibility of adding another dog to the family. For me, this meant a playmate for Reggie...this dog LOVES other dogs, so sometimes I feel bad he doesn't have a live in playmate. This also meant a dog for Ellie (our three year old daughter) whom loves Reggie but they never really connected on the level he had with Joe and I. To Reggie, Ellie is just this thing that came in to our lives and took our attention away from him...he likes her, he tolerates her, but he doesn't really pay much attention to her. I started painting this perfect picture in my head of getting this new puppy that loved Ellie and they grow up together and play together and it would sleep in her room...and blah blah.
I started looking online for the perfect puppy...we like to get puppies so that we can train them from a young age and it is hard to find small puppies at the shelter. We aren't against finding one there, but we want them to be a puppy! I came across beagle puppies and for some reason it seemed like the best idea ever to get one. It would be a mid-size dog, I don't have anything against beagles as a breed, it was very affordable (as opposed to some other dog breeds) and so we talked about it. In true French fashion...we talked and we talked and we weighed pros and cons and we talked some more. We went back and forth...was it the right time to get a puppy, is this the right dog for our family?????!!!!???
We drove to meet the puppies and picked one out and put a deposit down....and then we came home and the next day realized it just wasn't the right time for us. We would rather be a little embarrassed to have to now go back and tell everyone we are NOT, in fact, getting a puppy then to live with something that doesn't feel completely right for our family. It was such a hard decision for me and I cried and felt terrible and prayed they would find another home for that puppy...but in the end it was a huge relief to finally decide now was not the right time...and honestly, a beagle isn't the right dog for us either. We LOVE labs! So when the time is right, we will most likely add another lab to the mix...but it probably won't be for while now.
Whew...long post about a simple story: We almost got a puppy until we decided we shouldn't...anyone else ever make a decision and then have to go back on that because it just didn't feel right. It is a tough thing to do, but in the end, I a proud of us for doing what we feel was right for our family.
PS, if anyone is interested in the beagle puppies they still have two available and you can find them HERE