We *might* be getting a puppy!!
This isn’t an April Fool’s joke, but rather something that just came to light this week that I’m really excited about but we aren’t 100% sure so I hesitated to mention.
Well, today I feel like mentioning it — and if it doesn’t happen, well, you’ll hear about it! (as in, how I handle disappointment …!)
Apparently a co-worker of my husband’s has chocolate lab puppies up for adoption!
So this weekend we’re going to go over the details — budget, feasibility, responsibility of caring for a pup (I grew up with dogs, but I was a kid when they were puppies and my husband is a dog-lover but never had one growing up).
We have a lot to learn, so we’ll probably hit up PetSmart or PetCo for some advice.
Much of our hesitation in the past has been related to the fact that my husband is NEVER home and always studying/at class so a lot would fall on me … and that in addition to having a reputation for killing house-plants I’ve forgotten to water 😉 we tend to live a very whimsical life … we love being able to up and go on trips, etc.
A puppy would certainly limit that freedom … but it would also be good preparation for a baby (the next milestone we hope for). And we have the perfect backyard for a puppy — completely fenced-in, and the rest of our property opens up and leads down to a beautiful creek that is only a stone’s throw from a bike path/trail.
I also think a puppy would be good for me, personally, because I’d have to shift my focus to something else — something other than me, food, exercise.
A puppy is a huge responsibility but I think it would also be a good, new way for us to bond as a couple and it’d also encourage a new outlook on exercise. Going into the spring/summer months, walks with a puppy sound a lot more appealing than the harsh winters here in Michigan! And by that point, it would become routine.
Anyway, though I know it won’t be an easy feat (so much time/energy goes into having a puppy/training a puppy) I’m really excited at the notion — and will keep you posted! 🙂
How about you? Any puppy-rearing advice you have to share? We welcome any/all input!
Let There Be Light 
Wow! How exciting! Having a puppy is so much work, but it’s so rewarding too. Let’s email this weekend and I’ll give you tons of advice 🙂
Ooh do share, por favor!! 🙂 🙂 And happy belated Pesach! I’ve been a terrible friend!
Dogs are GREAT running partners. Just remember that having a backyard is no substitute for an actual walk! Chocolate labs are great dogs and travel very easily.
Oh I meant for when we’re at work — we wouldn’t need to keep him/her cooped up inside; we have a good backyard for a dog. Of course that wouldn’t substitute walks!! And you’re right, they make great running partners 🙂
I grew up with a black lab, Midnight, and miss him so much! So another lab would be on my wish list 🙂
Thanks for knowing what I meant. I work pretty closely with rescue groups so sometimes I can be a bit of a broken record on some things. My “running partner” passed away last winter and I would do pretty much anything to have him back. He helped me get out there and workout when I really didn’t want to. He was a retired racing greyhound.