Since my previous post about getting a best friend, I have started to wonder if you ever really need that ONE best friend, as you should have multiple friends that fulfill different portions of your life. This leads me to the ultimate friend… a (wo)man’s best friend. Yep! I have been debating whether to get a dog or not.
You see, I have always grown up in a “zoo” of a household. I when I was younger, at our maximum, I think we had three dogs (versions of small, medium and large), one cat, fire belly newts, and maybe I had fish or a frog. I have always imagined a vision of my “family” being similar to the breakfast scene in Cheaper by the Dozen; children running around creating chaos along with animals in the mix. While this might sound disastrous and draining to some, I look forward to a time when I can look around the room and feel lucky to be blessed with the chance to love every minute of it.
So for the past eight years, the maximum amount of pets I had in my house was four. When I lived with Jeremy, I had my two cats (it was buy one get one free at DDFL and they were sisters) and his one cat. We then adopted one kitten together, Bina Vita, to even out the teams. When we split, we each took our “set” of cats and went our separate ways. Before he got married, I remember being asked if I wanted the cats, as his future wife was allergic. The truth? I really wanted to take Bina Vita back so badly. She was my precious baby, my first kitten, who after being with our family for less than a week caused an epidemic of ear mites within the house. When I picked her up to bring home, she kept wondering around the car, under and over seats (while I was driving mind you) unless she finally came to rest, curled upon my shoulder and feel asleep until arriving at home. I know it seems cruel not to take them, but I just couldn’t imagine an apartment filled with four cats and one adult woman… that makes me just 8 cats short of becoming the cat lady and about 30 years too soon!
So a dog… the more I think about it, I don’t think I am ready for a dog. It sounds kind of weird to say that out loud. I am ready for a relationship but not ready to commit to a dog? I want a dog; I love dogs, but the thought of having to having to be home at a certain time every day, walking it every day (since I don’t have a yard) just sounds… restrictive. This means no impromptu meetings with friends, like happy hour after work or random weekend getaway trips. It may be selfish, but I don’t need a pet stifling my social life when this should be a time that I should be out and about! For now I will stick with my low maintenance girls (cats) and maybe I will think about it again next year… perhaps when I have a man in my life to help care for it. *grins
UPDATE :
It doesn’t help that Denver Dumb Friends League for the month of September is giving cats away for free! Yes FREE!!! This includes spay/neuter surgery, initial vaccinations, microchip ID implant and registration, a 15-day healthcare program and a free office visit with a participating veterinarian! I am just going to have to make sure I don’t stop by and accidentally get another little kitten. I guess I just have to remind myself of the cat photo above.
Issac Maez says
I came across your site while searching for more cat and dog information. I have both a dog and cat and they truly a part of our family. Keep up the good work. I’m going to bookmark the site and look forward to reading more articles.