Finding the right Dog
I never had a dog as a child. I had three brothers and three sisters so my father was not to keen on another mouth to feed.
The first dogs I ever owned came with a seven acre horse farm we purchased in Virginia Beach. The owners moved out of state and “forgot” to take their two dogs.
Chessie was an aloft Chesapeake Bay Retriever who spent her days chasing ducks and birds, while Bobbi, the black Lab, spent his days swimming across Back Bay and hiking to the Ocean Beach at Sandbridge. Animal Control would arrest him for being a public nuisance and lock him up on a weekly basis.
Both dogs grew to love my ex-husband and tolerate me as I slowly learned the intricacies of dog ownership. Over the next several years we became a family and when we lost Chessie to Coon Dog fever I felt the empty space left in my heart.
A new baby and a move to a smaller lake house a hundred miles away meant that our Bobbie also made a move of his own to a friend’s farm where he would continue to have plenty of room to roam and new places to explore.
With a husband that constantly traveled and a new baby to care for, another dog was out of question. Besides, I missed Chessie and Bobbi and didn’t feel they could be replaced.
When my son was five, my ex-husband decided it was time to get him his first dog, of course I knew the dog wasn’t for my son but it was my ex’s way of getting a pet and having me take charge of caring for the pet. He chose a cute little German Sheppard puppy that quickly turned into a 100 lb rambunctious puppy. Samson was a sweet-heart, but it was obvious from the start, that he was not the right dog for a five year old. He found it amusing to tackle my son and his friends and treated them like toys. Even after some very expensive training, Samson had to be locked up in his pen whenever children were around.
Chasing the neighbor’s chickens, cars and anything that moved forced us to keep him penned up for his own safety. Somehow, Samson just didn’t seem to fit into our family.
It was very different when we found Bonkers, a tiny bundle of Shih Tzu fluff, we knew from the moment we met that he belonged with us. My son was eleven by this time and ready to care for a pet. Bonkers is a tough little guy that can take all the rough housing that a herd of pre-teens can dish out and still smart enough to run to Mommy when he’s had enough. He has even won over the cat.
I can’t tell you what dog is right for you, but I can give you some basic guidelines and tell you to follow your heart.
1. If you have children, make sure you choose a child-friendly, size appropriate pet.
2. Wait until your children are the right age to care for a pet
3. Puppies are like babies, so if you’re not prepared to put in the extra time, get an older dog.
4. When buying a puppy, watch how the puppy interacts with his litter mates. You want the one that is not the leader or the wimp. The leader can often be more aggressive and challenge you or your children’s authority. This was our problem with Samson. He wanted to be “lead dog, alpha male”. A puppy that is wimpy and easily frightened can react with aggression out of fear.
I love having pets and can no longer imagine life without a dog in the house, but I do recommend that you take the time to find the “right” dog for your home and give them plenty of dog treats
