The one thing that I decided was as much as I wanted a puppy, I wanted the right fit for me and my family and our lifestyle. So, with this in mind, I began to watch the papers for puppy ads. When I would find one, I would research the breed; finding out what it was like, how big it would get, what its temperament was like.
I had an idea of what I was looking for; a dog that would be low energy inside the house, who would make a great companion that I could take on walks with. I was looking for a dog that would help me be motivated to get in better shape.
Now, I have had people argue this with me. That a dog couldn’t motivate me to do it, if I wasn’t going to do it without one, then I wouldn’t do one with one. I can see this side of the argument, but I also know myself. I need a reason to actually go out and do it. I know that for health reasons I needed to get out more and take walks. That between working (where I sit at a desk most of the day), and going home or out to pick up the necessities of life, isn’t enough exercise. However, with a dog, I would be required to put its needs before my own wants of not being motivated enough to go out and just do it. Besides, I didn’t want to go out for walks alone; I wanted both the companionship and the lack of need for talking while enjoying the outdoors.
Anyway, one would think that it would be easy to find a good dog to meet these needs. (Lucki had been a pound puppy [she was 6 months when I got her] and I did go to the humane society a lot over the last few months looking for my “perfect dog”). I, however, wasn’t looking for just any dog, I was looking for my ‘perfect’ dog.
Quick segue; when I got Lucki I was single and wanted a dog to go everywhere with me and give me a sense of protection. I went to the humane society and happened upon Lucki; she came up to the kennel door, I told her to “sit” and she did and I took her home. I was the lucky one with her. She was such a great dog.
When it comes to researching what dogs are like, the internet is a great thing. Especially with all the sites that are dedicated to specific breeds. With people writing not only what a breed is like, but what you should expect; the positives as well as the negatives. It is easy to shine a light on how great a breed is, but unrealistic if you don’t know their tendencies; such as how well they do with children? or small animals? etc. You have to be realistic in your desires to know what you are looking for in a pet; not just because you think that a husky has pretty eyes.