When we finally became homeowners, we had talked about getting a dog someday. We had a yard to let in run in, no upstairs or downstairs tenants to worry about, and were situated in a quiet section of a suburban neighborhood with plenty of other dog owners. I worked within walking distance of the house meaning most days I'd be able to stop home mid-day to check in on a dog and let it out for a break. Our work schedules overlapped in such a way as to ensure that a dog would never have to be left alone for more than a few hours at a time.
But did we want a dog? Or more importantly, did I want a dog? My husband's parents have always multiple dogs and cats living with them (maximum of 3 dogs and 8 cats at one point) so he was OK with the idea, and knew what to expect. I had my reservations.
When I was 6 years old my Grandparents on my fathers side decided to surprise me (and my parents) with the gift of a 6 month old collie/golden retriever mix puppy. Obviously, I was instantly in love (and my poor parents were put in a very awkward position). We were not prepared in the slightest.
I don't remember alot about that time, only that I loved the dog but was also very scared of it. The little puppy became huge, agressive, and unmanageable. He destroyed furniture, walls, car tires. He pounced on people and knocked them over, and ran away a lot. Eventually he was adopted by a "family in the country" . Whether or not this is true, I'll probably never know. I just remembered being heart-broken and feeling like I had failed and was not good enough for even a dogs love.
From then on my parents had a cats only attitude on pets. And we had great cats, but none of them bonded with me. Our first cat Muffy, bonded with my Dad, who still gets misty eyed when talking about her. Hobbes came along as I was about ready to head out on my own, and bonded with my sister. I moved into my first apartment and had a serious of rather unfortuante relationships. However, my doomed from the start affair with a goth Peter Murphy look-a-like, did give me a great cat named Sebastian, who was the love of my life and is now forever immortalized by his tattooed likeness on my left shoulder.
Since Sebastian I've been firmly in the cat-person camp. People argue that cats are cold and unfreindly and cannot provide the level of compainionship that dogs can. I disagree wholeheartedly. Cats, if handled correctly can be socialized and be very affectionate animals indeed.
So why get a dog, if my cats are so outgoing and bring me so much happiness? Fair question and I wish I had a simple answer or at least one that makes it seem like it's all about having a dog. I want to get a dog because my husband wants to get a dog, but also because I've always wanted to know what bonding with a dog is really all about to get over my early experience with my first dog, because it will take me out of my comfort zone, and because it will be an adventure for all of us.
