More on the Possible Dog

Backfill: Nov 16 '03 Response from a friend:

okay I had a look - she sounds really nice! Being a "she" will be a nice change, I think you'll find, getting-along-wise. I don't know what to say if it isn't love at first sight. You've been looking at an awful lot of dogs, and, like houses, I think you know what's out there and how often it comes around, and what you like. I'd say if you like her, then it's a good choice. Anyway now I think you're a different persom, a more choosy person with specific goals (performance and around-the-house), so that you'll never be doubt free like you used to be when picking Rem. Not that Rem was a hasty or ill-thought-out choice - it's just that when you got Rem, you knew he would be doing obed and tricks, you didn't know about agility and that brings a whole nother dimension to the choice. The fact that you're making this decision without consulting a partner might also leave you more subject to doubt. But trust yourself: you have a very good instinct when it comes to dogs!

I can't wait to hear - this _is_ very exciting - a PUPPY omigosh!

Ellen continues:

I called Rachel earlier, because I had talked to her a few months back about advice for getting a new dog. She strongly suggested a real puppy (not a mostly grown one) if I wanted to raise a truly awesome agility dog--but she also understands I want a mixed breed. (Really weird--I just don't see many ads for mixes in the paper. I wonder where all those half-grown mixed breed dogs come from? All the friends & neighbors take the puppies because they're cute, and then somewhere down the road they realize they're not what they want? I dunno--)

ANYway, she said kinda the same thing that you just did (see, you're as much of an expert! :-) ), which is that with Rem I didn't have these grand expectations, and now I do, and so it'll be harder. She talked about the levels of choices she went thru with her various dogs & how high her expectations for herself & her dogs--and how hard it has gotten making a choice--have become over time. That was kinda reassuring.....I think.

I've left a message for Gina to say let's take the next step.

I just went thru my online journal of when I got remington, & it's both funny & scary. My quote back then was something about being torn between Gee This Is Great and What Have I Done????

I'm really starting to think now about the comfortable life we've got--the long off-leash walks we take in the park, and leaving the dogs alone & free-range during the day in the house & yard, and snuggling on the couch with one on either side, and...

Yeah, things'll be different. And, as I discovered with Rem, fixing some of the challenges with a large dog is a lot harder than with a very young, small pup.

And actually I didn't know I was going to be doing tricks when I got Rem--he just kinda forced me into it!

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