January 02, 2005
New Year's Eve Round-Up - Part II
What New Year would be complete without some resolutions? One of the ones I firmly decided upon over the weekend was that we must get a dog.
You see, the LMC's have a very friendly but energetic young boxer bitch. When we arrived at their house, she immediately caused a screeching panic among the Llama-ettes by jumping up and licking their faces. The rest of the weekend involved a good deal of forcing the dog to work around the girls' sensibilities.
This left me positively aghast. Not only was I embarassed that my kids should be causing the LMC's so much inconvenience, I was more deeply stung by the reason why. That children of mine should be afraid of dogs is absolutely unacceptable. I grew up with dogs and love them. I've had to endure many, many years without them, instead suffering through the surly ingratitude and bloated narcissism of a bunch of cats. To me, non-dog people are unfathomable. I cannot possibly imagine sending my children out into the world with such warped characters.
I have been toying for years with the idea of getting a puppy. This episode seals my resolve. If not this summer, then certainly by the next, we are getting a dog. And remember, it's not for me. To borrow a phrase from Hillary Rodham Clinton Rodham, it's For the Children.
UPDATE: In case you're interested, it's almost certain to be a Lab. They're big, dumb, patient and friendly. And they have that quality of wanting to please, which is a good starting point for new initiates into dog ownership.
Posted by Robert at January 2, 2005 02:53 PMThink about a beagle - wonderful dogs, very friendly, little shedding, and (at least with mine) no chewing on furniture/shoes etc. They are also good at barking when someone approaches the front door. Plus, they are excellent hunting dogs if that interests you.
Ken
Posted by: Ken at January 2, 2005 03:34 PMLabs are also notorious garbage and gas hounds... Don't know if the "ettes" will put up with it.
Posted by: babs at January 2, 2005 08:13 PMI would shy away from pure-breds and look for some hybrid vigor in a Labrador mix.
Our dog's half-Lab, half-German Shepherd. Gentle, kind, loyal, and smart. Really the best of both breeds.
Posted by: JohnL at January 2, 2005 08:24 PMWe have an English Springer Spaniel who aside from not being big, pretty much matches your description of a Lab.
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at January 2, 2005 11:59 PMRobbo, the Llama-ettes did just fine with our boxer, all things considered. Another day or two, and they would have been chasing her around our muddy back yard. On a related note, the Future ROTC Scholarship Receipient had no idea just how good he had it. The sharp disagreements among the Llama-ettes over who could sit next to him are not the sort of thing he can expect when he is older.
Posted by: LMC at January 3, 2005 09:31 AMTo me, DOG PEOPLE are unfathomable. However, I think I must have the three most annoying and troublesome cats in the world so I'm really starting to think goldfish might be the perfect pets.
Posted by: Lynn S at January 3, 2005 10:05 AMI have a dog, too, the fourth I've ever had, the only one as an adult, and by far and away the one to whom I've been the best master. She's a Lhasa Apso, and I think she's the bee's knees. Ironically, it was The Feared Redhead who insisted on this breed, but one look at that little Canine Ewok and I was hooked, and now the dog displays a pronounced preference for my company that frustrates TFR to no end.
Posted by: Brian B at January 3, 2005 01:51 PMYoung labs are pretty hyper dogs, though, for young kids. When I was four, my parents got a lab puppy that was so enthusiastic and dumb that he'd constantly jump up on me and knock me down; I'm sure in the spirit of play but still ...
I was absolutely scared crapless of that dog, so much so that my parents had to give it away. Didn't like dogs for years after that, and I still can't stand it when dogs jump up on me -- I'm not afraid of them anymore, I just don't like them getting their dirty paws on my clothes.
Posted by: Alex at January 3, 2005 08:54 PMNo, German Shepherds are the best ... my two are awesome!
/TJ
(Labs are an acceptable alternative however ;) )
