As the nice weather finally approaches here in New England, I find myself wanting to add a puppy to the family more and more.
When is the right time? Do I want a second dog? I liked having two dogs when I’ve done it in the past, but right now, dealing with two dogs sometimes seems a bit overwhelming.
The other day I ordered flea, tick, and heart worm preventative from my vet. Granted, I ordered six months worth, but it cost me almost $200. Maybe I don’t want a second dog?
I was pouring over Facebook pictures looking at all the cute adoptable puppies in the world, and then Cali started peeing in the house. The vet wanted to do a urine test. Another $100 on testing an antibiotics, do I want a second dog?
As Cali gets older, I think about how fun it would be to train a new puppy, then I got injured. Now I’m not even volunteering currently. It’s taking everything I’ve got to keep up with what I have to do, and there isn’t room for anything extra. Maybe a second dog isn’t a good idea.
I was chatting with my daughter, and mentioned wanting a second dog. She suggested maybe this Fall would be a good time, once all the crazy summer happenings are over, but then I realized that I’m out of the house a ton in October.
Today I was talking to my Dad and he mentioned how his puppy is driving his older dog a little crazy. Maybe Cali would hate having a puppy in the house?
Cali is pretty high maintenance right now. She’s got kidney disease and has daily medication along with special food needs. It feels like she ends up at the vet almost monthly with something. She’s still recovering from the torn ligament in her hind leg and needs monitoring when she exercises, so playing with a puppy might be too much for her even if she wants to play with it.
It feels like the universe is telling me that now isn’t the time. Will I stop looking at adoptable dogs online? Never? I think for now I stick with fostering, volunteering, and enjoy Cali’s senior years with her.
With all the time I spend volunteering, maybe the right dog will fall into my arms at the right time and I won’t have to look too hard.
How do you decide when it is the right time to add a new pet to your family? Let me know in the comments.
