>Dog Decisions

>A second dog? What do you think?
Ever since we had my sister’s dog, Cooper, stay with us for a few weeks, we have been throwing out the idea of getting another dog. We’ve been back and forth for a while now. However, in the past day or two we’ve both been moving in the direction of getting another dog. There are lots of pros and cons that come with the idea.

The Pros:

• We love dogs. They bring so much joy to our home.
• It would be good for Sophie to have a brother or sister. 
• I am more motivated to run and be active with a dog around that needs it. When Cooper was here, I felt obligated to take him on a run every day in order to keep him from going into “crackhead mode.”
• It would be fun to get a dog that is both mind AND Austins. Sophie is still a “mommy’s girl” since I had her before we got hitched.

The Cons

• Money. Dogs can be expensive. Vet bills, Frontline, heartworm meds, food, toys, etc. It adds up.
• Doggy Daycare. When we go on trips it is really easy to ask someone to take Sophie. She’s low maintenance and fun to have around.  But it’s a really big favor to ask someone to care for TWO of your dogs. 
• It’s a risk. What if it barks all the time? What if it gets really sick? What if it doesn’t get along with Sophie. There are lots of unknowns. 

We’ve been talking through those for a while and have narrowed our criteria down.

We want a dog that is medium sized. (30-50lbs).
We want a dog that is fine with strangers and other dogs.
We want a dog that is good with kids.
We want a dog that is male.
We (I) want a dog that doesn’t shed like crazy.

Kind of a high maintenance list, yes? What kind of breed would best suit our wishlist??
I went online to do some research.
My  first stop was a website called Select Smart. It took me through a quiz to narrow down some ideal dog breeds. Here were the top three results:

#1

Sussex Spaniel 

Look familiar? 

It looks like Sophie as a brunette. 

#2

Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

Looks a little too frazzled or something. No thank you.

#3

Powlish Lowland Sheepdog

I’m always bugged when girls have their bangs hanging over their eyes- I couldn’t handle a dog that has it 24/7. Next please.

So Select Smart didn’t seem to be hitting my preferences quite right so I moved on to another quiz. Dogtime.com. This one had about 25 detailed questions. I was sure it would produce the perfect dog for the Conner household. What were the results? 

#1

Anatolian Shephard Dog

 Maybe. This guy could grow on me I think.

#2

Black Russian Terrior

I’m sorry. I don’t want a dog with a goatee.

#3

Doberman Pinscher

It just makes me think of the mean dog in the movie “Up.”

#4

Great Dane

What?! What happened to my preference for a medium sized dog??

So the surveys didn’t help too much. Tomorrow Austin and I are going to browse the animal shelter. I have to mentally prepare myself. The last time two times I was there I cried like a baby. I hardly knew what Sophie looked like when I got her because of my blurry vision. 

Stay tuned for doggy updates!