which dog?

I have to decide between two dogs within the next day or two.

Actually, I could decide to take neither of them and wait for another - unfortunately staffies are very popular in Sydney, which means there are a lot of them in shelters, so I wouldn't have to wait too long.

[Either they get lost (they're fast runners and often terrified by thunder or fireworks, so they run away) or they're surrendered (they can be a handfull, especially when they're young - they require a lot of exercise and can be dog-aggressive, which means they fight with other dogs. At the first sign of this, some people dump them at the pound.)

The first dog I met, A, is seven. I had decided that was too old for us to consider as, realistically, we'll be facing Lot's demise sometime in the next few years (she's 12.5 now) and then would immediately face A's old age too. I don't relish the prospect of losing a dog every two or three years.

But when I met A last Friday, he was immediately endearing. He's not the most athletic of chaps, shaped more like a little pig than a dog. But he is very sweet and affectionate, with that typical staffy exuberance - tempered by his age, which, it immediately occured to me, was a relief. I don't think he'd be hard to integrate into our household. A has had one owner all his life who has had to surrender him for personal reasons. I think having had one owner is a good sign that A is not a neurotic mess.

The second dog, B, lives with a family who want to surrender him. It's hard to get a clear picture of why exactly they plan to do this, as they seem to love him and have clearly looked after him well, in one way. But I got the impression that he doesn't get taken out for walks very often, that they treat him as an outdoor dog (staffies should really be indoor dogs), consigning him to a small yard, and he consequently digs up the garden. Now they're planning renovations and think it would be best to give him the opportunity to have a new home where he'll be loved. B is four. He was very calm, compared to Harry - but that struck me as a slightly odd trait. Staffies generally go wild for people - he didn't go wild for us, he was more interested in Lottie. We took him for a 10 minute walk and he behaved well, but it was hard to get a handle on his character. Even Olle wasn't especially interested in him.

I guess it's plain that I'm leaning towards taking A. Yet I feel sorry for B - I think he's bored, which accounts for his subdued temperament, and the prospect of seeing him lighten up a little appeals to me. Theoretically it would be better to take a younger dog, although part of me feels so exhausted from the past 2.5 years with Harry that I'm even ambivalent about that.

Fortunately both of these dogs are under the auspices of the rescue group so nothing bad will happen to them if we don't take them.

I wish I could see into the future.

Comments

[KathyF]

What a tough decision! Sounds like B hasn't been able to form as close bonds with humans, for whatever reason. I wish you luck, whichever you choose.

[third cat]

Have you (or Olle) got the book Let's Get a Pup by Bob Graham? Olle might be a bit old for it, but it is a beautiful story which youse would probably enjoy (although you might want to wait until you've made your decision before you rush to the library to borrow it - I don't want to post a picture book spoiler here, but it might not help your decision).

[suzoz]

No I haven't seen that one (we have got others by Bob Graham.) I'll wait to look at it...

[morgan]

A difficult choice - you've sound reasons for waiting, IMHO, but good luck whatever you all decide!