Wanting a Dog

It's been two years since our greyhound, Geiger, died. She was the sweetest dog, if not real smart. She was old, and it was time for her to go, but it was still hard. Now that I'm traveling less for work, and my husband is done with school, it seemed like a good time to get another dog. We combed the internet, that ready source of all, um, knowledge, to try to figure out the perfect dog breed for our lifestyle. You can do that with dogs, you know. Not with kids, but with dogs. Apparently, the perfect dog for us is the Hungarian Visla. Ever heard of one? The closest place we can get one is Dallas.

I personally would like to go back to fostering greyhounds until we find the one with the temperament that fits us, and adopt it. Greyhounds are such sweet dogs, and fulfill my desire for a cat (please leave your comments about crazy cat ladies down the street at home). They have very short hair and a penchant for cleaning themselves that means you only have to bathe them every month or two. They "take retirement very seriously", meaning you don't have to walk them very often either. By the time Geiger was 10, she not only did not require a walk (not that she required more than 10-15 minutes before that), if you wanted to go for a longer walk than around the block, she would lay down in the grass and refuse to go any further. So, they are low maintenance. But, you also get all the great things about a dog -- the way they are so excited to see you when you come home, even if you're just coming back in from getting the mail. They want to be around you, and tend to get into things, which is endearing.

Fostering would be so hard, you say? No, no, it's not. We've fostered 3 so far, and I've been happy to see them find homes. The great thing about fostering a rescued greyhound is that you get to know them, to characterize them, and help them find a good loving home. Then there are more greyhound evangelists out there. Did you know they can find homes for 20-25,000 dogs each year that are discharged from the racetrack system? However, there are easily twice that many that are killed each year and never given the opportunity to laze around on a soft bed and bounce around happily when their owners come home.

So get a dog already!!! But then we started down this remodeling path, and now doesn't seem like such a perfect time for a dog. We'll have a kitchen that's a mess and potentially dangerous construction materials everywhere. So, I guess we'll have to wait. But I know my dog is out there, just waiting for me.