I would love to own a dog. Or two. :-) :-)
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The thing is, I also love to travel…and I’m not quite ready to call it quits on my traveling days yet.
So, my dilemma is this: is it mean, perhaps even cruel, to spend the odd six weeks abroad and have my K9 friend(s) boarded?
I’m perfectly happy to factor in the cost of a good boarding kennel. I’d absolutely and positively want my doggie(s) to be well looked after while I’m gone. But it seems that every time I’m on the cusp of rescuing a dog from the pound, up pops a poster on FB giving me some version of: I am your dog and I love you. When you leave me I worry and mourn for you. I wonder what I’ve done wrong, and why you have abandoned me? I only live to be seven or nine (or some other miniscule number!) and every year of your life is seven in mine. Please, please, please be kind to me and love me as much as I love you.
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Seriously, if I wanted that kind of guilt in my life I’d have had children! ;-) I do not want to adopt a dog simply to make said doggie's life an utter misery.
So this is what I’m trying to work out: would the good of giving a rescue dog a secure and happy home cancel out the bad of leaving said puppy for a few weeks every couple of years?
Or should I just forget the whole thing?
Or, here’s a third option...should I become a dog foster carer? I’d have a dog or two (or six!) in my life, I’d be doing something for the greater good, but when I traveled someone else would step up to the plate?
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So, what say you (I’m channeling Aragorn from Lord of the Rings here– did you catch it?)? Come on, weigh in with your thoughts and opinions—all advice will be gratefully received.
Michelle this is a tough question for me you see I have always had dogs well pretty. Much all of my life there have been odd tines that we haven't and yes I do have a biggy in the yard at the moment nut Casper is actually my daughters dog but he lives with us.
ReplyDeleteI do understand your delema about leading them when you are away we have always been lucky enough to have neighbours and friends who have looked after ours when we have gone away but we normally don't go for more than 2weeks at a time maybe fostering for a while will help you decide but they are wonderful loving pets
Have Fun
Helen
LOL, Helen, you'd be one of the people to pat me on the arm and say, "You poor thing!"
DeleteIt seems that dogs add so much fun and enjoyment to people's lives. You know, you could be right -- fostering could be a good way for me to decide if dogs and I would be suited to each other. :-) Thanks for your thoughts!
I totally get this conundrum, Michelle. Our girl dog died last year and her brother, our boy dog is 12 and blind and epileptic. He's perfectly happy so I think we have a couple more years with him but that's probably about it. And it will be heart wrenching when he leaves us :-( But we won't be getting another pet because they are an added complication as far as travelling goes and I plan on travelling *more* not less as we enter the next stage in our lives - child free!
ReplyDeleteI am, btw, in the minority in our house over this :-)
Ah, but are you in the minority because you do all the looking after of your lovely boy dog?
DeleteOne of the advantages of fostering dogs is the fact the organisation is willing to work around your commitments etc. But, of course, I'd start to foster a dog...fall in love...and we all know how this story goes. ;-)
Not at all :-) I'm the good-time patter and that's it. Kids and hubby do all the rest :-)
DeleteOh, well done you! :-)
DeleteJust going through this exact same thing! I would LOVE a puppy (esp now my boys are leaving the nest)...but I also aim to travel more. Currently I look after my neighbours dog once a week when she's at work and that is lovely. I have the best of both worlds...so we've decided Not to do the puppy thing in the short term because it would be too hard to leave them behind...
ReplyDeleteA foster carer or dog walker sounds like a great compromise?
Ah, so glad I'm not the only one who's having this dilemma, Louisa. I have to admit that I feel I've been putting off the 'let's get a dog' question for too long now...but I can't face the thought of not traveling more in the future either.
DeleteI'm thinking the foster-carer-thing has a lot of points in its favour. :-)
I'm torn, Michelle. I want to say, "you MUST have a dog; dogs are EVERYTHING!!!" but that's me and we always have someone house/animal sit when we all go away so it's an easy situation. Dogs totally are loyal and love you and miss you but on the other hand, you aren't away all the time and you work from home. I'm thinking there's a dog somewhere who is going to be very lucky to be your dog.
ReplyDeleteOoh, you sound like a big advocate for getting a dog, Bron!
DeleteWhen I'm being rational and practical about the matter I think -- as long as we're home more often than we're away...and as long as I make sure our doggie is well looked after when we are away, then that would qualify us as a good dog owners. Of course, when I am home said doggie would probably be spoiled rotten. :-)
Michelle, we're a little torn about this issue too. Especially since we like to go away for a few months at a time. We haven't quite made up our minds because I think months away from your dog isn't so good...
ReplyDeleteWe had a fabulous fabulous secondhand furkid while we were only able to take 3 to 4 week breaks. She used to go along to "boarding school" - she wasn't thrilled about it but we chose a really caring place and we were happy with the way they looked after her. She was always so pleased to see us that it was the highlight of the trip to go and pick her up.
You know if you're only looking at shortish trips of a few weeks at a time, I'd say go for it. Find a well run kennel to look after him or her while you're away. Or as Bron suggests, find a house sitter! And I second her comment that there's a dog out there who'd be lucky to belong at Chez Douglas!
Mr Douglas and I wouldn't be heading off for a few months at a time, but it could be six weeks at a time. Mind you, it'd probably only be every three years with the odd week here or there. So...I'm starting to think that maybe that's doable. I had a little explore on the internet yesterday and there are plenty of excellent-looking kennels in the area.
DeleteI hope you and Bron are right and that a dog would be lucky and happy to land on my doorstep. :-)
Thanks for the thoughts and encouragement!
It's a tough one. My parents adopted a beautiful little pup last year after waiting a good five+ years after my childhood dog passed away. Mum wasn't keen to go through it again with another dog, but honestly she couldn't be happier now. They travel, but my sister dog sits while they're away. So I think it's easier if you have someone who could take care of it in those scenarios.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I don't have a dog for this exact reason - we travel a lot and we live in an apartment. But the second we come home and buy a house I'm getting one! I miss having a dog, they really are wonderful creatures.
That seems a common refrain, Stef -- it seems people are always so happy when the get another dog. I'm so glad you mum is pleased with her new pup.
DeleteOoh, no, I don't think I'd want to manage apartment living with a dog...but I have a house and a huge yard just begging for holes to be dug in it. ;-)
Ooh, gorgeous photos, Michelle. Since our boy, Boss, died a few years back we've been asking ourselves the same question. We're just not home enough and taking a dog on long car trips to stay with family isn't ideal. We've opted to wait a bit longer before getting another dog. As for fostering, I don't kow that I'd be very good at giving them back. :)
ReplyDeleteThey certainly become members of one's family don't they, Sue, and need to be taken into account. As for fostering...well, we'll see. I could see that I'd end up adopting my foster-dogs for good. :-)
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