My Years With Dogs

When I was 8 my family got a dog. It was my first dog. We were basically a cat family and when our cat disappeared, presumed dead. I can remember going to our Humane Society in Hutch and my brother picking out this little black and yellow dog. The people said that he was half daschuand and half terrier. He resembled a miniature Doberman. My brother taught him how to sit, beg, and jump over his legs. We fed him cheese and chocolate chip cookies. Now I know in this day and age chocolate is a no-no for dogs to snack on. But we did it back then. We named our dog Floppy. During life events (such as my brother getting married and having a couple of kids) the dog was around. Then when I was at Sterling I got a call from my parents telling me that Floppy had died. We had Floppy from when I was in 3rd grade until I was a junior in college.
After that I didn't get another dog/pet for 10 years!!

Then I finally adopted Liberty when I bought my first house in W town. I was single and Liberty turned out to be a great companion. She even got along with L after we got married. We moved down to H town and she was there when I had S and J. She died after 13 years, when S was 6 and J was 3.

Then we got Daisy, 8 years ago. As Pastor B would say, "That's been quite a long time ago." S just turned 7 and J was 4. Now S is in high school and J will be in middle school next year. How time flies.

As I think about getting another I wonder what dog I should get. Should I get a dog that's big, which carries a big responsibility (like Daisy was a big Collie), or do I get a little dog, small expense (such as vet bills, boarding fees would be much less). It's a decision that I just don't know which way to take. It's a decision that I didn't want to make for at least another 5 years.

My next dog depending on size and health will possibly be with us when both kids are away from home. If my next dog would live over 9 years then S will be out of college and J will be in college. It's something to think about.