the puppy problem

[flea]

Saturday we spontaneously geared up and took Casper to Tae Kwan Do (she goes at afterschool twice a week, but is allowed to attend a third session per week at the center any old time, as part of her tuition). It was fun to watch. There was a mix of ages (Casper was at the lower end, although she was at the middle as far as height went) and belt levels (mostly white but two yellows and a green). Casper was at a loss when the teacher was working with other kids and she was supposed to be practicing her forms; she looked at me through the window and made comedic shrugging faces. The other hilarious part was when they did a game in pairs, in which each partner had a short piece of belt tucked into her actual belt and they were trying to steal each other's. Casper was matched three different times with kids who were at least 8, and each time her belt was stolen in approximately 3 seconds. She was so completely non-cagey it was funny, and then she'd make a comedic sad face at me when her belt got taken. Anyway, I'm glad she likes this and I hope she continues to do so.

After TKD we went to look at the puppies and kittens up for adoption at the pet store, which hosts rescue groups on the weekends. We do this many weekends, since the pet store is in the same mall as the Kroger, where we grocery shop. This weekend, however, mr. flea fell for a puppy, and that made Casper really fall for a puppy, and so there were tears. The puppy in question was a very submissive male border collie mix, about six months old, already mid-sized and with big feet still, incredibly soft fur, heart-melting eyes. A very sweet dog, but a family with a 5 year old and a 2 year old and a cat, with adults who have never owned a dog before, with nobody home 10 hours a day 5 days a week, really does not need a large puppy of a notoriously intelligent and high-energy breed as a first dog. The animal rescue woman and I together were able to communicate this to mr. flea, but by this point Casper was far gone with the idea of getting a puppy. She started with rational argumentation: "You said when we moved and were settled in we could get a puppy," and then moved on to drama and sobbing.

I am fundamentally not a dog person (I am a cat person); I think puppies are darling, but I know how much work they are. Since mr. flea and Casper are really into the idea of a dog, I am okay with us going there. However, it's got to be a sensible choice for us and the dog. An adult, already trained, smaller, preferably a low-energy breed, maybe a breed that is less sheddy and dog-smelly. My ideal is Lulu - luluminion's mid-sized poodle, who is sweet and good with kids and isn't going to tear the house apart or need 5-mile runs to stay in shape (okay, now she is elderly and blind, but a young adult version of Lulu is my ideal).

That was a damn sweet puppy, though. Who I am sure will find a good home with someone who jogs and works from home.

Comments

[rivka.livejournal.com]

I was partly raised by a border collie. They're wonderful dogs, but totally unsuitable for your living situation. A border collie needs a job to do. If not given one, they will invent one. (I've heard reports of bored border collies trying to herd cars.)

Our border collie helped my stay-at-home mother keep an eye on a bunch of young kids, some of whom were foster children with behavioral issues. He took his job very seriously and employed all the herding skills you see in a professional sheepdog. And he was high-energy enough that I wasn't allowed to walk him until I was twelve, because I didn't have the strength to handle how hard he pulled on the leash.

Good luck finding a dog that's a better fit for your family.

[loligo.livejournal.com]

OH MR. FLEA NO! I am cringing at just thinking about the catastrophe that would be Your Family (or my family) + Border Collie.

But I think you will have no problem at all finding a shelter dog that meets your family's needs.

[mearagrrl.livejournal.com]

That sounds very sensible of you. Difficult in the moment certainly, but sensible in the longterm!

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

Aw, poor Casper. It's hard to say no to a puppy. Given your situation, your Platonic dog is very sensible, and it won't be hard to find an adult dog to adopt when you're ready.

Dan & I have already had preliminary discussions on how to handle the inevitable demands for another dog after Molly dies. ::sigh::

[serrana.livejournal.com]

Yeah, having seen border collies handily clear six foot fences from a standing start, um, no. Not unsupervised in a yard.

More sad, my parents had a neighbor with a border collie who kept roaming. His people finally decided they had to put a stop to it and tied him up when they went to work. He got so worked up that he strangled himself on the tie-out (yeah, they should have used a harness; that's the other moral of this story). He was a wonderful dog and they felt horrible about it. Border collies need to work, they need a lot of space, and they need to be with their people all the time.

[cofax7]

Good on you for sticking to your guns. The last thing y'all need is any kind of herding dog.

Good luck on the dog hunt. You could think about an older dog, say over 4 or 5, who would be lower-energy. Of course the question then is why is someone giving up that dog? It's a problem.