Should I or shouldn't I ? That is the question.

I can afford it. The little chap melted my heart - it was love at first sight.

Have the time to spend to train another pooch. My old dog is nearing its end, so I wasn't in any hurry to add another one to the family - until my heart skipped a beat and it still is.

He won't be ready to go home before next week ... meanwhile by my leaving a deposit I can insure he'll be mine.

It's a momentous decision on whether or not to bring a pet home. They become another family member - for better or worse for as long as we both shall live.

I just put a deposit on the puppy.

Whoever said you can't buy love hasn't owned a puppy.

Hooray for you, and your new little love!

He hasn't been feeling well this past week. Which is why I need to wait until next week before I can bring him home. He's doing much better since last week though.

Congratulations! Dogs are amazing creatures, tremendously capable of love, loyalty and comfort! So happy for you!

Happy puppy!!! Our puppy is now 8 years old and still the little light of our life. I'm sure you know how this goes.

Aww, sweet. :)

Aww. Enjoy!

Tankoo. :)

What breed?

A bulldog mixed breed.

"I'm afraid of not outliving this little champ of a dog. And leaving him a rescue animal if my cancer were to return."

I know where you are coming from. I expected my dog to live longer and it should have died just about the time I was retiring. Then I could travel for a few years and maybe get another dog when I was more settled. Then life stepped in. Dog died prematurely from poisoning and I became caught-up with taking care of my mother. Having a dog right now would be one too many responsibilities. I will not get another dog until I have a close friend or family who loves him/her and will agree to take him if something happens to me unexpectedly.

I also love terriers but they are so independent. A bull dog "love bug" sounds almost impossible to resist. But terriers are made to play and chase critters. I don't know what my next dog will be if that time ever comes when I'm settled and ready to take on a life long baby. Best wishes.

I am very, very happy for you Amyjo...and for him, too!!

:D

Thanks. It's kind of daunting bringing home a new puppy. Hopefully he'll fit right in. My older dog will like the companionship.

We haven't had a second dog in more than 6-7 years. It will be my first bulldog breed. My mom had one once, followed by a Shar Pei.

I've typically gone for terriers. He's very cute, but will outgrow my older dog by about three times or more. So I need to brace myself for the feeding bill lol.

A dog will love you no matter what. Mormons, not so much.

Ain't that the truth?!

Dogs are perpetual children though. There's no denying it.

He's a breed that was developed in the 1980's by mixing several bulldog breeds together into one. Now that "breed" is called a Victorian bulldog. They are rare to find, not very common. But are overall healthier than the English bulldog, because some of the negative health traits were bred out of them. It's a little larger than the English Bulldog, and has slightly longer legs, and a longer snout, so it can breathe somewhat easier.

The VB is a cross between English Bulldogs, Bull Terriers, Bull Mastiffs, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers.

Attributed to Harry Truman in response to his political conflicts. (The FriendlessFiend)

I am so jealous! Love him to your hearts content!

You can foster or train dogs to be service dogs. Its hard but easier to let them go. I have to have animals around me except if guests are allergic, then outside they go.

CONGRATS!!!
Furry family members are THE best-est....

I think I'm on my last pet. I love it and so do the children. But the future life we are planning is not good for a pet. So when this one passes, I think that will be it so we can do some things more readily than a pet allows.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/15/2018 04:01PM by dogblogger.

I thought I was done too, with my last doggy who is very elderly now. Was looking forward to being pet free for a change. So I don't know what I was thinking to get another one.

It will make a good companion dog, and also a good watchdog. We've had a family dog now consecutively for nearly three decades.

I also wasn't going to get another dog when my last one died 3 years ago. I made it through the summer. My boyfriend kept looking on line for a dog for me. One night we were sitting in my back yard and he kept showing me dogs up for adoption. He showed me one and I read his story. It said he had a brother. They were left at the side of the road in a kennel and a deputy found them. Their story stole my heart and I adopted them the next day.

Almost 3 years now.

My reason for thinking I'll never get another dog is that losing them is so HORRIBLE. I don't know how much more my heart can take. But they are the best.

I'm very happy for you. It is so hard to resist. I'm afraid of the city allowed it, I'd be a dog woman.

After sleeping on it some more, and unable to bring the pup home before Wednesday due to its health problems, I've decided to cancel the sale.

Normally the breeder doesn't allow this, but for the pup's own cold it's been under the weather for now over a week. And then there were my own health concerns of being able to care adequately for a new pup, given my recent bout with cancer. Guess I'm afraid of not outliving this little champ of a dog. And leaving him a rescue animal if my cancer were to return.

I can't do that to him. His breed is a high maintenance dog. If I were to keep him I'd need to be able to care for him for the next 12-14 years. It isn't right to deprive him of his "forever home," if I was only blindsided by puppy love. It was love at first sight for me. We bonded very quickly, even with him being sick and all.

Lordy, Lordy. He was an expensive breed. If I decide on another dog down the road, will try looking at the local shelters instead.

Thanks everyone for your support and encouragement. This thread isn't going to be now looking for a new name for my Victorian Bulldog (I was undecided between Pickles and Brugge.)

I do feel better overall that I decided ultimately not to go through with the sale. As much as I would love a new puppy. It would be very selfish of me if I wasn't able to be there for him.

Amyjo, a young puppy being sick for more than a week would be a huge concern to me. At a minimum, if you are paying for a dog you have a right to expect a healthy dog to be delivered to you.

If it's any consolation, I frequently see adult cats (at the shelter, or through local rescues) that are wonderful cats -- friendly, affectionate, and often with stories that would tear your heart out. There will always be wonderful dogs with which you can bond.

When you are ready, you might try a local rescue, some of which are breed-specific. You can also give local animal shelters an idea of what you are looking for, and they will contact you when they get a dog in that is a specific breed.

Good luck. I know it's hard to let go of a loving animal. But sometimes it's for the best.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2018 06:33PM by summer.

Thanks, Summer.

If I had brought that puppy home, there's a no return policy unless it falls under the Pet Lemon Law for NYS. By the time that pup would've been with me, I'd be too bonded to take it back no matter what my vet might've found out.

It was being treated by a local vet the dealer works with. It would've come with a free vet visit, and money off a neutering fee, etc.

Regardless, he was a cuddle bug. Has the personality and temperament of a bull dog, and I can see why people find them so irresistable. Bulldogs can be hard to train, which is another reason I found myself questioning my sanity. Did I really want to do this all over again?

Since I'm nearing retirement, and planning a major move in the not too distant future - having a new dog would only complicate things for me as I prepare to relocate. Its breed doesn't do very well in warmer climates, but its parents live in Arizona. So there is that. They overheat easily.

Amyjo, if you have a specific breed you might be looking for, search the web. There are lots of groups that have an online presence. I might even suggest a senior dog; you know what the personality is and they're usually potty trained. Every time I've been in a shelter it's been wall to wall pit bulls.

The local shelters where I live have been pretty much taken over by pit bulls as well.

We've had two pound puppies from a local shelter, but they are no longer with us. They were sweet, big mutts. :)

One was a chow mix. The other a husky mix breed. Loved them both. One was a guard dog, the other a goof ball. :)

I may wait until I move back west to get another dog. That way, I'll be already settled, and will have more time (I hope,) to spend training a new pup (or even working with an older dog.)

We have a cute little saying in our family room: "All you need is love and a dog."

I have lots of love, and my little old pooch we've had since he was a puppy, to go around.

He isn't going to have his new playmate after all (see my post above.) It was a very difficult decision for me to make, but I feel this is the right one for now.

Thank goodness a woman's prerogative is to be able to change her mind!

:-)

I understand your dilemma and your concerns for the puppy. I am a consummate dog lover but, unfortunately, this Assisted Living doesn’t allow pets. Otherwise, I would most definitely have a dog :). If that were the case, this AL would be the perfect place to be! Sigh....

Thanks Cinda. I'm with you.

My heart is not in sync with my brain over this one.

Putting the puppy's interests ahead of mine is what it came down to. Life experience caught up to me, it just took a detour since the puppy and I met last week.

I'm swearing off puppy ads in the foreseeable future. My heart can't take it. This little guy is so sweet, that I know he'll find a forever home - which is what he deserves.

A very difficult decision to make and very selfless.

My first 2 dogs were a Cocker Spaniel and a King Charles Spaniel. One I got from my cousin, who had had her Cocker Spaniel bred. The second one I think it was a puppy mill to a point. The place was nice, but a lot of dogs. After I lost him, I swore that if I ever got another dog, I'd get a rescue as then I could justify doing it even to my own heart, knowing that when they died, I had done something good.

And you don't have to train them! Mine were 2 years old when i got them (they believe). They told me one of them was not training well and I found out otherwise. These 2 are brothers and they are fun to watch. Double the love, but double the fears of heartache.

I had to get off "Dogs of Cache Valley" and other fb pages because I want to adopt them all. My daughter posted something on fb about me wanting to adopt every dog I see and that is true. I also hate to see the lost dogs on fb, so I've had to limit seeing those posts.

Yes, maybe when you are in your new location, you can decide then.

I also assume these will be my last dogs as I agree with you, I don't want to leave a dog behind when I die, but I do have my ex and I know my kids would take them in, but they are my responsibility.

That’s one negative thing about a mixed breed , not knowing every breed in its history. It could of had a slight amount of a breed famous for a certain health problem. Most good breeders always let you bring the pup back, even if it’s an adult a year later.
I don’t know if they give the money back though, they just don’t want their dogs ending up in a not so good place.
The English bulldogs nowadays are terribly bred, they never used to have that small chest cavity with lungs and heart too close together.
The old bulldogs weren’t like that, and their short muzzle, they can’t breath . The American Bulldog is s lot better.
The Stratfordshire bulldogs are good dogs ; they’re all over England. They’re not bred for fighting there, so they’re a good dog.
I love bull terriers, ever since I saw General Pattons dog and Spuds McKenzie, they’re hard to train though, but sweet.
Maybe a German Shepherd from a good breeder will do. Most of them will already be trained , plus they pick up on any new commands you may want to give it.
Just get a working line one vs a show line , which has that sloped back. When they’re around 5 years old , they already have joint problems in the hind legs.
The working line still have the straight back that dogs suppose to have.
The bulldog had been misbred too , for that look, which compromises their breathing.
A lot of people are trying to make breeders go back to the original dog , for the dogs sakes
There are other breeds too that are now bring misbred .

Huh! I like your sensible approach to this, Ms. Hockeyrat!

I think we should apply these principles to our kids, and pay more attention to whom they date!

The Victorian bulldog is a throwback to the bulldogs of the 19th century. It was bred to have the best characteristics and temperament of the original bulldogs, with fewer health problems than the English bulldog is today.

I've had sort of a crash course on them when I nearly bought this puppy. They're very loyal and devoted to their families, and very social animals when they're properly socialized. They're good with children and other pets.

My puppy (he's 7 but he'll always be my puppy) Dusty, is such a pal...always waiting to give me love when I come through the door. Can't imagine what the last 9 months would have been like since my wife died.

Aren't dogs the best?

My current pooch was brought home as a 16th birthday present to my daughter. He was 12 weeks old at the time. She didn't bond with him, so he became mine. Now 14 years later he's still around, and daughter is on other side of globe.

He came to us with a heart murmur. Over time he outgrew it.

He's a faithful companion dog. He actually helped me through the empty nest syndrome of children growing up and leaving home by just having him around.

Today, I put a deposit on a gorgeous Japanese Chin female.

Chins are the breed of my heart. Should be about 7 lbs fully grown.

Our current Chin, Lumpy, actually thanks me. I wondered why he'd take a snack, walk a few paces away, drop his snack, make eye contact with me, grab his treat again and trot off again.

One day my sister gave him a snack--same process, but he waited until I got out of the way, made eye contact with HER, grabbed his snack again and trotted off.

Seriously! He's thanking us!!!

I'll be more impressed when he writes you a check...

My Border Collie did. I'm just afraid to cash 'em.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/20/2018 02:29AM by kathleen.

Oh, how sweet!

They'll make great companions.