Puppy Love

Yes, it's Valentine's Day. No, this post has pretty much nothing to do with that.

When we'd been married about 3 years, I started thinking it was time for us to get a dog. Mostly this was prompted by the fact that we'd been working on starting a family for just around a year with no success and I was hoping a dog would help ease my heartache a bit. And thus, after considerable cajoling, we came home with Cassi-dog and she has been our boon companion for lo these almost 13 years. Just about six months after that, Tim decided that the reason she was so excited to see us every night when we got home was because she needed company during the day. And so with very little cajoling on his part, we came home with Meggie, who was also our boon companion until 3 years ago when she had to go be Jesus' boon companion instead. (Honestly, He plays ball with her and snuggles her daily. Don't tell me differently, it's the only way I cope with her not being here. And even then it doesn't always work. I miss my Meggie just as much today as when the wound was fresh.)

The doodle is madly in love with Cassi. Cassi is not so much madly in love with him as she is generally mad that he is in her world. She somewhat uneasily bears with him most days. And the doodle's getting better about leaving her alone, though he does swing by and pat her gently every chance he gets. (He really is rather good with her.)

And so, Tim has half-decided that what we need is a puppy. Or, to be more precise, two puppies. (Because we know Cassi is probably not all that long for this world, she being 13 and the average age of Shelties being somewhere in the 10-15 year range, and really it's not fair to just get one puppy and have it lose it's friend so soon.) I'm torn.

On the one hand, Puppy! Puppies are cute. And cuddly. And a puppy would have the energy to match the doodle and, I suspect (and of course, this is part of the plan) they would be fast friends and inseparable and something like a younger version of Red and Rover.

On the other hand...puppy. Puppies are not housebroken. And a puppy would be twice the energy for me to have to channel every day. And what if the puppy and Cassi do not get along and, instead of it giving Cassi the break from being the dog center of attention that we think she wants, it in turn makes Cassi feel even more supplanted by the doodle and now a new dog (or, hey, two new dogs) and she just gets meaner and more unhappy.

Like I said...on the fence. I have, tentatively, found a litter of puppies that'll be ready toward the end of February. Our plan is to go down and see them and play with them and evaluate the various interactions and then make a decision but really...it's hard just looking at photos to say "No, it's not the right thing right now." How much worse is it going to be when holding the wiggling little ball of joy in your hands? If, in fact, that's the right decision to make.

And what does it mean that I've already pretty much got names picked out?