I was raised with big dogs in the house. I am an only child. My first dog, Jake, was my very best friend. All our dogs were members of our family. When I was sad, I went to my dog. One of the worst moments of my childhood was when Jake died. It was horrible and I couldn't go to him for comfort.
My husband was raised with dogs outside. His baby book has a different dog in it every year. This one given away for digging, that one had to go for leaving the yard, etc etc. They fed them and sometimes patted them on the head on the way in the house.
The history of pets for us- I convinced him to get an outside dog when our daughter was two. I tried to bring Roxy the husky in, but she wasn't interested in coming in at all. So everyone was happy. A couple of years later we moved to a place with more property. We inherited another outside dog when we moved in. He also had no interest in coming in. Rowdy was a very outdoorsy, hunting kind of dog. But I was really trying to get an indoor dog. The next move brought both those dogs with us and I talked my way into an indoor cat. Then Rowdy passed away at 10 and Roxy was so sad we got Pete. He had been in a shelter for 5 years and was thrilled with our yard and his dog house. When my daughter turned 16 she asked for an indoor dog. After years of trying to talk him into it, he let Fritz the schnauzer (doesn't shed, was out of his puppy stage, potty trained) come into our lives. Roxy and Pete both passed away in the same year. Roxy was 16 and Pete was 10. It was a tough year. This summer my son asked for his own dog. And not a prissy dog like Fritz. So Goldie, the 2 year old Golden Retriever mix came to the house. But it turned out she sheds like a fiend and my daughter and I are shockingly allergic to her fur. She is mainly an outside dog which none of us really likes.
Last year, I had a pet sitting service. It was great! I got to play with all kinds of dogs without having to have a ton of dogs at our house. Then I went back to college and with work, kids, husband, my own dogs and church... I just didn't have time for it. However, I still do it for my friends.
My day today has been all about dogs. I got up to go let Murray (friend's dog) out for the day and feed & water him and his cat friends. When I got in the van, Goldie got out of the fenced in back yard. I put her in the van and took her to Murray's with me and Fritz. Everything went fine. Then when we got back my husband and son started trying to fix the fence where she couldn't escape. We were all filthy and it took so long we couldn't get to church. We still haven't been able to keep her in. She never tried to get out before. Now she is like Houdini. She is just brilliant. She is such a sweet dog and so smart. But either we have to put in an underground fence or put crossties all around the bottom of our fence or find her another home. We live on a highway and she can't just run loose. I am leaning toward finding her a better home. I feel bad for her being outside when she obviously wants people. She's different than my other outside dogs.
Then I got on facebook to talk to my cousin about another dog. A friend of mine needed for find a home for her dog. I am taking it to my cousin in VA next month. Now I wish I wasn't, he would be great for Goldie.
UPDATE:We got Goldie about 6 months ago from a lady that loved her but her life had changed where she didn't feel she could keep her. Plus, Goldie is insanely strong and she was having a hard time handling her. I've kept in touch with her and right around this time, she started talking about taking her life back and getting another dog. I asked if she would like Goldie back. She said "YES"! She made more changes so that having Goldie would work. I had been working with her on the leash and stuff so she was easier to handle. We were sad, especially my son, for us... but I think it's best for Goldie. She's back inside all the time with the lady she loves.
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