It has been close to a year since we said goodbye to our dog Dell in Feb 2024. We took a year to get over our loss and ask ourselves if we should have another dog. Introducing a dog into a family takes a lot of commitment and sacrifice. Are we prepared to devote time, energy and loads of patience to create the right environment for our new family member?
Spending time together working on our projects and relaxing during the Christmas and New Year period gave us the chance to fully discuss the question about a dog. To be honest, the answer is "yes". The real question is when. We had already spoken to a local dog trainer; we saw his car signage and liked what we saw on his website, and involved him in our thinking process.
Our vet friends recommended we look at pawsrestart to identify a rescue puppy. While looking at dogs on a website might have started like an online shopping exercise, it was definitely not a guaranteed sale. The trainer helped us narrow our selection down to a dog and we visited the foster home. This visit helped us see if we connected with the dog and also for the rescue organisation to see if we would care for the dog. There was also a home visit by the rescue organisation to assess if our home environment was suitable for a dog. After all that and a nervous wait, we were successful.
Here is Artie. Our newest member of the family.
What a cutie! I love how considerate you are discussing whether to bring a dog into your life or not. I feel like many people don‘t and then they are overwhelmed by the commitment and give the dog away again. I hope you have a wonderful time together. I have a feeling he will have the best life with you.