Why wouldn't anyone get a dog?

I love all animals, but I LOVE dogs. There is no better welcome home than the welcome of a dog so excited to see you that you would swear you were made entirely of bacon. A dog will love you unconditionally, even when you fuss at him for eating you favorite shoe or absconding with the mate of every pair of socks you own, he always comes back for more. You are his best friend and his master.

The decision to get a dog was a no-brainer. I grew-up with dogs, big dogs – German Shepherds and Irish Setters. I can remember palling around with our first German Shepard, Bizmark. I used him as a pillow when I napped; I stole Milkbones and split them with him. He was my best friend as a tot. I was not born yet when he was a puppy, but I have heard the horror stories. So after Biz, my parents only adopted adult dogs. When I made my decision to adopt, I wanted a big, full-grown dog. It’s funny how what we want and what we get are often polar opposites.

Let me back up a minute. I live with Aimee, who already has a dog, well, it’s actually more of a human-dog. Presley, a 6-year old, 35lb, female puggle, is the ruler of the roost. She’s a good dog, who at times forgets she is a dog. She has several nicknames – Little (Lil) Dog, Hamster, Fat Dog, Fat Hamster and Pres.  She gets a bit stir crazy if she goes more than a day without taking a car ride somewhere, she will withhold from eating her dog food at home to save room in case she goes to her Maw Maw and Paw Paw’s and there are goodies (you know, bacon, eggs, pancakes, and other typical doggie brunch food) waiting for her. At the dog park, Pres prefers to walk laps around the track with her humans more than playing and socializing with other dogs.

Presley aka Lil Dog

When getting a dog, I had to take Presley into consideration. Pres doesn’t love other dogs, but she isn’t aggressive towards them. She just takes a bit to warm up to them. This brings me to the decision to get a puppy. There were three main reasons:

1. According to Aimee, Pres would be more inclined to bond with a puppy than another dog. Pres may take to a puppy as a mother given its young age. - I laughed out loud at this one, there is not a motherly bone in Presley’s body.
2.  A puppy is smaller than Pres. If the puppy gets out of line, Pres can quickly establish herself as pack leader and assert what is acceptable and what is unacceptable behavior to the puppy. – Ok fair enough, can’t argue with the size issue.
3. A full-grown rescue could have lingering issues we do not know about that result in Presley doing something that sets off new dog and causes new dog to eat Lil Dog. – Once again, hard to argue with.

As I mentioned before, I had heard horror stories about Biz as a puppy, but if I wanted a dog, it had to be a puppy. I was reassured by others who had gotten their dogs as puppies. They told me that you bond so much better with a dog when you help shape who he is.

Well, let me tell you something, living with a puppy and living with a dog are NOT the same thing. That’s why I’m writing this blog, to share the adventures of raising a Tiny Dog.