Just thinking about things

It's funny but now that I've decided to get a dog I feel no pressure to get one. I've looked at a few on craigslist tonight but nothing that really caught my eye. I'm excited that there are 3 adoption fairs in town this Saturday. I feel like I won't find "the dog" this weekend but that's okay. I'm in no rush. A dog will be more work for me, especially keeping the yard clean, but I feel that I'm up to the challenge now that I'm not working. And I'll be able to walk the dogs on my walk each day. I'll have to keep it on a leash for a while but eventually I'd like to be able to have a dog off leash. It'll take a while to be able to do that but I can be patient. I wouldn't want my dog to run off and get lost. That would be tragic after all I've gone through with my dogs.

I was thinking about Moped tonight because someone on craigslist said their dog talked like a Wookie. Moped was always making Wookie noises. I loved that about him. There is a GSP on craigslist but I have to keep telling myself that a GSP is just not a good match for me. As much as I love the breed I'll have to go with a mellower less enthusiastic dog. I think about Huxley and Blitz a lot. I wonder how they are doing. I'd love to see a picture of them playing in their yard again. Oh well, I know they are well loved and well taken care of now.

One of the things I realized is that I'm afraid my friends will think I'm crazy for getting another dog but I'm willing to deal with that. I really miss having a dog. I know it will keep me busy but now that I'm home all the time it shouldn't be nearly as draining as it was with the others. I know that I can't get two dogs and especially not two puppies like Skooter and Moped. They really were too much for me. If I had just kept Skooter it might have worked because he was out of the draining puppy stage. He was still a puppy but not like Moped. I can't belive when I think back on it that I had to keep them tied up even when they were in the house. No that's out of control.

I wonder if now that I've given myself permission to get a dog if the need to get one will decrease. I'm not going to spend too much time thinking about that. I'll know as I go along how I feel. I'm trying to go into this with my eyes wide open this time. I know I need a dog that's good on a leash, that's for sure. I don't want to have my shoulder pulled out of the socket like the other four did to me. I think about being a calm and assertive 'pack leader' and wonder if I'm going to be able to pull that off. I love to baby my dogs and that's not a good thing. I need to exercise them, discipline them and then give them affection. That's the way the dog whisperer says to do it and he has an awesome pack of dogs.

I've already looked at some training I could get a dog into. The person that I'm looking at also does therapy dog training. I wouldn't mind having a certified therapy dog. I also should look into agility training for a dog, especially if it's a sporting dog breed. The more I can get the dog involved in the happier we'll all be.