Paul's Heart

Pet Zen

So it happened again, my heart fell in love with another dog.  I am able to let my common sense rule as I know I am in no position to adopt another fur friend.  I live in an apartment which of course does not allow pets.  At this point, affording a pet is still an issue while I try to take care of myself.  And yes, I do still miss Pollo, so much.

And it is only common sense that has prevented me from adopting another fur friend.  Right now, I could really use the healing benefits of a canine companion.  For nearly fifteen years, Pollo was a never-ending smile greeting me at the end of every work day, as if I was only gone from his side for just a moment, while in reality, I was away from home anywhere from eight to ten hours a day.  He never questioned where I was, why I was late, why I may not have been in the best of moods, or if I was not feeling well, he just knew that we were both happy when we were together.  I really still miss that.

So as I go for walks, it is inevitable that I will cross paths with other people walking their pets.  Now let me say for the record, I have owned all kinds of animals, and I have always done my best to make sure that they all lived normal life expectancies.  In total, 3 dogs, 9 cats, 2 gerbils, 2 guinea pigs, a rabbit, 2 frogs, an assortment of fish, and even a parakeet.  Yes, I love animals.

The peace, comforting, and healing effect of animals is becoming so popular now, that it is common place for pets to visit patients in hospitals and oncology offices to help boost the spirits of patients.  The pooch pictured above, a “golden doodle, actually visited my late father on his very first day receiving chemotherapy.  How times have changed since my days receiving cancer treatments.

But anyway, this post is just about a wish, that some day, I get to share friendship with another canine friend some day.  While I like all animals, big and small, I do have a tendency to  favor large breed dogs.  And because I have small children, actually who are growing quite quickly, behavior of the breed is very important.

Of course, I will still favor the Golden Retriever.  I remember playing alpha male with Pollo, and at times we could get carried away, and one of my daughters would try to join in the fun, but Pollo recognized that my daughter was not me, and knew the difference and concentrated his efforts on establishing alpha with me.

And I will state, I love all retriever breeds, though there are some that do not have the demeanor to deal with children as reliably Goldens.  But there are other big breeds that I have always thought I would consider when the time comes and I can afford them, spend time with them, and emotionally, is the right time.

But if I had other choices, they would be these three breeds:

   The Great Pyrenees

    The Newfoundland

And then there is the breed that prompted this post today…

    The Burmese Mountain Dog

Yes, I love big dogs.  All of these breeds have wonderful dispositions.  I know when the time comes, I will most likely go through rescue organizations and not pet stores.  And my reason is simple, the majority of puppies and dogs sold in pet stores come from puppy mills.  And I know anyone affiliated with a  pet store who sells dogs will object and say that it is not true.  And those pet stores are relying on semantics.  You see, the pet store is most likely buying their dog from a “broker”.  But a broker is not a breeder, simply just another step in the puppy mill process because a broker is the one who buys the dogs, most likely from a puppy mill.  Don’t believe me?  Assuming you have purchased a “pure bred” dog, chances are that the dog’s origin comes from an area overpopulated with puppy mills, like Lancaster County in Pennsylvania.

So yes, when the time comes, rather than contribute to keeping the puppy mills in operation, I will instead do what is of greater need, adoption of a rescue dog instead.  But that is when the time is right.