Not At This Time...

Steinvic and I were thisclose to getting a puppy. Yep, we're still looking for the right furry friend for us.

This one was a "morkie" or "yorktese," meaning a combo of Yorkie and Maltese. Cute, cute, cute. The price was right, but it didn't include a first vet visit. At the time, I didn't think it mattered, but since, I've decided that this is now a requirement, if we end up getting a puppy.

The woman was responsive to my e-mail inquiry and put the target wean date at April 11, which sounded great to us...time to puppy proof, get supplies and baby gates and mentally prepare for the responsibility.

We kept in touch. We offered to give her a deposit, which she never got back to us about. We asked to come see the dogs and she was busy, but never offered another time for us to come.

Suddenly, she e-mails to say that the puppies just opened their eyes this week and said we could come get the one we want this weekend...huh? Four weeks early?! She asked that we dropper feed him and said that the momma just isn't that interested in being around the puppies anymore.

I replied saying that we'd be more comfortable if the dogs could have their natural wean cycle completed before we selected one or took one home. Were the dogs still able to nurse at all?

Then the truth begins emerging...she has four other dogs, plus a cat that just had six kittens. Steinvic and I started thinking that perhaps she just had her hands full and wanted to move these little guys on.

Not getting a full wean can lead to a ton of problems - bad immune systems, social issues, health issues, developmental issues - and we just don't want to risk it. How devastating would it be to bring a little pup home and have it die or become very sick?

I asked if she was bottle or dropper feeding him and last night she said that the mom was nursing a little, and she just put a bowl of milk in the pen for the dogs to supplement. Hmmm...

We decided this puppy isn't for us. It just seems fishy. (Was that a little sigh of relief I heard from Steinvic?! Just kidding...) So, we're going to hold out for the right one. It's just kind of disappointing...but I'm sure it's the right thing to do. Hopefully, no one will want to adopt them and they'll be able to stay with their momma a little longer...every day makes a difference!

Puppy Update

Well...we soul searched like crazy over Maya, and we just decided that with our lifestyle and the size of our condo, we were not the right family for her. And, it was the right thing to do; today the shelter contacted us and said a volunteer there was interested in adopting her. I have a feeling that by us putting her "on hold" (which means if someone else wanted her, they'd nudge us to make up our minds, but it wouldn't keep her from getting adopted) the volunteer had an "Oh, crap! I think I want her!" revelation. I e-mailed the case worker and said we were thrilled that Maya was on her way to a real home and to let us know if it went through. I have a feeling it will.

Meanwhile, a friend of ours tipped us off to a yorkie-poo that belonged to a high school pal of hers. She'd seen her friend's post on Facebook, got her info, told her we might be interested and even brought her own dog up to our local so we could get a feel for the breed.

Tonight, we arranged to meet with the friend and her dog, who we'll call K. K is a mixed breed pup, fifteen months old. He looked like a white Benji instead of a yorkie-poo. Considering that she told us she'd got him from a shelter (puppy mill) that has since been shut down, I think they lied about his breed. Not that we're breed snobs, but we were expecting small.

To summarize our half hour with K and his owner...one long bark. K hated us. He hated our house. He hated how we smelled. He hated our hands that were tentatively extended for sniffing purposes. He hated our faces, which he intently barked at. Loudly. He basically gave us the finger, insulted our mothers, threatened our heritage, cursed our loins and then flipped us off again.

He loved his family. He circled them, suspicious of why they'd made this trip. He barked and looked around and barked some more. And then barked. You know, because barking was accomplishing so much.

I gently said that we could tell that he loved them very much. Her oldest daughter started to cry. It broke my heart because she knew that this was bad...she didn't want to give up her dog, but she didn't want to take him home, either, because they just couldn't keep him. I patted her foot (we were sitting on the floor) and said, "It's all going to turn out fine."

The Mom offered to come back later this week but Steinvic and I talked and we agree that this dog would not be happy with us. Our dog will have to be comfy with "strangers" and love change. My Mom wants a granddog and hopes to come by and take the pup to her place some days. We have friends and family that come to our house to stay. Most importantly to us, Young Man loves dogs and I want him to have a friend he can cuddle when he visits.

(K was not a cuddler.)

So I will call her and thank her and tell her that we would love to help her out (really, we would) but that we don't feel like it's the right fit. I will wish her luck from us.

And ten minutes after they left (after my big teary eyes because the whole thing was so sad), Steinvic was looking online for puppies. "We need a little one we can raise ourselves."

He is totally right...

Should we get a puppy?

My dear friend, Marta, is adopting a puppy. She has a beagle who is awesome, but forever, Marta has wanted a dachshund, too.

Her co-worker's mini-dachshund just had puppies on December 23. They are incredibly cute...

So, Marta e-mails photos to me and I send them on to Steinvic, saying, "Oh-aren't-these-cute-and-yes-she-offered-us-one-and-yes-I-was-good-and-told-her-we-couldn't-right-now-I-just-wanted-to-share!"

And Steinvic blows my mind (as he often does) by replying with, "They are cute, and if you want one, let's get one. And yes, I am serious."

And so, my darlings, the dilemma. I want one... Even though after having to put my cat down a few years ago, I told myself I wouldn't get any more pets. Even though I already have a crazy lifestyle that includes Steinvic and I living two hours apart and alternating home fronts on the weekends. Even though puppies are expensive and I am upping my financial conservativeness this year (pay cash for EVERYTHING!) as much as humanly possible. Even though I sometimes question my ability to possess a 'mothering nature.'

Marta (who lives in St. Louis) even offered to drive to meet us halfway so that none of us has to use vacation time. Totally sweet of her.

The ONLY things that have me a little concerned are:

• So, we go get this dog on Saturday, bring it home on Sunday and then boom! Monday comes and Steinvic goes back to his town, and I go to work for 9 hours. What does the puppy do all day by herself? I don't want to be cruel or neglectful, leaving her all alone. She'd be safe, have food and water and she'd be warm, but man, she'd be scared, wouldn't she?
• In my commitment to pay cash for EVERYTHING in 2009, a puppy is potentially a big expense. I have the cash for this puppy. But I know I have some other expenses coming up. The puppy is $225, and the only reason it's owner is charging is because the momma had to have a C-section and the shots and worming are all included in the cost. Still, it's $225 and I'd like to buy Steinvic's son two tires for his car for his upcoming birthday. I know there will be vet bills, supplies to buy, and more.
• Since I commute on many weekends, I would have to go pretty far out of my way in 5:00 Friday evening traffic to pick up the puppy on my way to Steinvic's. This means not getting to Steinvic's until probably close to 7:30 or 8:00 p.m., which isn't the end of the world, unless we have things to do.

I know my Mom will help me out with this. I know she would love to spend time with the puppy and that she would go above and beyond the call. But I'm grown and don't want to put her out or rely on my mommy to make it all better. That isn't fair.

We're meeting Steinvic's brother and his brother's wife for drinks tonight. They have a dachshund and a mini, too. I want to learn more from them about how all this puppy business works...

So, what do you think? Puppy or no puppy?