His name is Homer. I knew we would get a puppy one day and awhile back Habitat for Humanity send us a letter and we sent them a donation....and Homer arrived today. I'm hoping Homer will lead to a real puppy soon...but we thought we'd love this one for now.
And he's so well behaved too. He's sitting in my Queen Anne chair right now just looking at me with love.
It's the funniest thing but now that I'm ready to get a dog....my husband is having "second thoughts" about whether this would be best for us now. So I told him we should pray about it and ask God to send us a dog if He wanted us to have one. We started praying about this a couple of weeks ago and already it looks like we are getting an answer. Oreo, the stray dog that our neighbor picked up and brought home with her has been coming every day to spend time with us. He is there in the morning when my husband gets up and goes out on the porch to drink his morning cup of coffee, etc. before getting ready for work. And after my husband gets home from work...Oreo comes and visits again. Oreo seems to appear out of nowhere for me too. When I'm going to check the mail, or leaving to run an errand...all of a sudden he is there wanting me to pet him and give him a little attention before I do what I need to do or after I have done those things. Oreo also thinks our Bird bath is his drinking bowl and every day he will make a few trips to that bath and drink his fill from it. I think God wants us to "rent" Oreo like we are renting our home. We can love him all we want, babysit him if our neighbor needs us to. give him treats, etc. without all the financial or full time responsibility for him. And we have "Homer" for our inside puppy....and he is a very good puppy indeed.
Last year we had a Shih Tzu puppy all ready to buy, but backed out of buying it. Even seen and held the pup. Had the food, play pen, toys, training pads, leash/collar and grooming stuff, but....... After thinking about it, we thought it would be better to get a pup like that after we move, if even then. Returned the food and training pads, but kept the rest. We really want another dog, but having a dog does change a person, or couples, life quite a bit and Vet bills aren't cheap. Will have to wait and see how we feel later.
Although I love Pickles and can't imagine my life without him, I don't think I would get another pet. It's almost like having a young child to worry about. Travel is always an extra stressful step with him. Instead of flying out of my airport here which is easy and only a 20 minute drive I have to take Pickles to my daughter's first and then fly from there and can only get flights that she's able to drive me to and also plan my trips when she's at home. I always worry about when I have an appt and it's been too long and he's been home alone for longer than usual. Plus worry when he acts a little weird...worry about big vet bills even though my daughter would pay for it it's still stressful. Then there are the times his barking drives me crazy especially when I'm on the phone...I think he knows. I'm glad I have him and love him but no more pets for me. It will be painful enough if I out live him.
I think it was @Holly Saunders who mentioned something about maybe "fostering" dogs. I thought about that but knew in my heart we would not be able to give up the dogs we fostered when it was time...we would grow to attached to them. There's so much to think about when your Senior citizens and considering whether it will be best for both you and the animal to bring them home to live with you on a permanent basis. Financial cost is a big factor for us but as my husband loses more of his vision I think we are both concerned he might trip over our pet, etc. That's why we decided to pray about this and we told God that we would not look for a dog but if He wanted us to have one we would trust Him to bring the dog to us. We both feel Oreo might be the answer to our prayer and so for now we are enjoying "sharing" a pet.
Maybe you can find a pet-sitter who would watch Pickles when you are gone, and then he would not have to go all the way to your daughter’s when you are gone. It would be strange for him at first; but once he got used to being in a different place with new people, he might really like it. If you found a senior lady similar to yourself, then he would have lots of attention and not have to deal with kids. I bet there are advertisements for this, or your vet could recommend someone maybe. What I use for the barking is a squirt gun. Tootsie is the Family Guard Dog, and she takes that position very seriously. When someone (especially with a dog) walks down the street, she starts barking, and even worse when someone comes to the door. So, I keep one of those little spray bottles beside my recliner, and when she. Starts barking inappropriately, first I tell her to be quiet, and then if she doesn’t stop, I squirt her. She does not like that and she seems to be learning to stop when i tell her to be quiet.
Oooh that's fabulous news @Babs Hunt , yes I've long campaigned for animal fostering, and so I really hope that oreo has come to you just at the right time to be cared for until he finds his forever home... he is sooooo cute too...
When I fly to my son's or sister's ...it's usually for a month so that's just too long for a sitter for Pickles. Ive tried the squirt gun and everything else for barking with Pickles and nothing works. Even tried a bark collar which after one time I didn't like after hearing his high pitched bark but thought that if he even saw it coming he would stop but he didn't.
Oh I think he has his forever home with our neighbor who found him abandoned and brought him home to live with her and her dog Bella. Our neighbor doesn't mind Oreo coming to visit with us anytime he wants...and if she ever needs help with watching him...we will be glad to volunteer.