With the US general election drawing closer and closer, there’s a lot of talk about parties, polls, and the choices facing undecided voters.
Of course, some parties are easier to embrace than those with donkeys or elephants, and the Beloved and I got to spend a bit of our Saturday at a convention of sorts – a Puppy Party!
Puppy Pile!
You see, the great breeders from whom we got Penny have had another litter of pointer puppies. We’ve stayed in pretty good contact with them and so got an invite to the new puppies’ coming out party. Of course, everyone we told about the puppy party asked us if we were going to get another dog – and we resolutely answered, “No way. Too much. We have a great dog. We don’t have time to train another.” But, I mean, who’s going to pass up a chance to see puppies. Besides, seeing them might even make us a little smarter or something.
What about me?!??!
Naturally, within 26 seconds of actually seeing the puppies our resolve may have weakened just a tisch. And then we got to hold them and play with them and our resolution was melting faster than a lead in the polls after a bad debate. We kept reminding ourselves that we were really there just to visit and not to campaign for new member of the pack.
Go ahead, say no to that.
Sniff sniff
They were awfully cute though, especially when they played with us. They made a great case for our vote, except when they got too tired and had to pack it in for the afternoon.
On the move
Pooped pups
And so, I’ll gather some input from the Stevil electorate: what do you think, new dog or no-new dog?
Pretty cute pup
I will say that Penny sniffed us pretty intently when we got back home. She hasn’t let her vote be known yet.
Stevil 
New dog. Most definitely, bring a new pup into your home. Penny has a wonderful life, and another pooch would be blessed to join her life. I am a firm believer two pups are better than one, especially as they age. Furry pooches need furry friends, in addition to their human friends.
New pup. For certain.
LD — Penny DOES love all other dogs — or at least she tries to until they’re mean to her. She’s always happy when we dogsit.
Who could ever say no to a new puppy?
Lauri — theoretically plausible, practically impossible.
Would Penny enjoy having a little friend to train up, or would she be mad that there’s something even cuter than her that would take up attention from the hoomans?
Lurker — it’s a good question. Penny loves all other dogs, and enjoys having other dogs visit and stay over, but I don’t know what it would be like if it were permanent. It’d break my heart if I made her sad.
Bringing a puppy into the home is like bringing home a younger brother or sister. You’ve got to make sure the former “baby” gets enough love and attention to take the edge off. I don’t know Penny’s real personality but blog-wise, she has always sounded like she has a big heart.
So, I’m abstaining and waiting for Penny’s vote. :)
BD — I think Penny would like the company … mostly. She likes when other dogs stay with us, but I’m not sure about permanently — she always seems to conk out when they go. You know it’s hard being a hostess… :)
I’m having an unplanned second so you have to too. :)
Don’t tell me if you’re having twins… ;)
These babies melted my heart, I don’t know how you could resist. that would be one lucky pup. Do you think Penny would go for it?
cranky — it’s a good question. Penny really likes playing with other dogs, but I don’t really know how she’d do with a permanent one and just not a visitor.
I no sooner would have put down that puppy than tear my own heart out. :D But I have to agree, how would Penny feel about having an interloper in the house? My pomerpoo hated having even visiting dogs in HIS house—and he made it clear, in his small-dog way, that it was his house, dammit, and we were just tenants in the place.
I also wonder about the time requirements of having a puppy and a full-grown dog in the house. It’s kind of like having a new baby and a preschooler, I would think—though I suppose Penny would sniff at being compared to a preschooler. I guess you and the Beloved are the best judges of that, steve. If you truly enjoy spending most of your spare time with dogs, then go for it.
HG — you strike on a good point. We got Penny when I was out of work and could spend a wonderful summer raising a puppy. This puppy wouldn’t have that attention, which would be a shame. The Beloved has offered to see if she could get laid-off so that we could get one.. ;)
All I can add is PUPPIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, I don’t want to run out of exclamation points. (I’m much too torn to cast a coherent vote. Gee, a new puppy takes a lot of energy—but maybe you’ve got it to spare!)
phantom — Penny was pretty easy to train, but then again, I was out of work at the time, so all i had to do was take care of a pup and look for a job. Any new pup wouldn’t get that level of attention.
If I had it to do over again, I would have had 2 dogs. It’s too late now for Frankie is old and would not appreciate it. But a few years ago he would have ….
On the farm, we always got a pup once the older dog was well trained and in command; they sort of trained the young-un to come along. I can see Penny doing that. Plus, who can say no to those faces? :)
MJ
MJ — almost impossible to say no to a 7-week puppy, isn’t it? They were very energetic and inquisitive. I would be more enthusiastic if we had a big yard, but The Aerie’s yard is very typically Southern Californian tiny, so that’s one drawback…
I say walk it off. Too much puppy pheromone clouding your judgment. Wait a couple of days, have a long discussion with Penny. She may end up making the decision for you.
Exactly – don’t “impulse buy” a puppy. Good thing they don’t have them in stock at the supermarket checkout!
SS & GOM — oh you’re right about waiting. I don’t think they’d be available for a couple more weeks — they’re still a little young to be out to a permanent home just yet, so we have time to consider… and reconsider…and reconsider….
I took my own informal poll …
… Joy says from her experience she wasn’t too happy with two new “siblings” but she got used to it and enjoys being a ‘big sister,’ especially since she can beat Smokey up even though he’s twice her size …
… Smokey says get a cat …
… Juliet says if you can’t eat it, why bother bringing it into the house …
… I say I’m glad you waited …
GOM — I’m sure Penny would get used to being the “older sister” and do a good just teaching a young pup. I think the thing that keeps me from really embracing the idea is that it would break my heart if Penny thought that she wasn’t “enough” for us, because she’s such a great dog.
I don’t think dogs think in those terms. They live for today, and as long as you’re happy, they’re happy. The why and the wherefore just isn’t something they worry about.
I say go for it. They can entertain each other, and Penny can help train the pup, too.
(And now there will be someone else to blame for the scratches on the sofa or the fresh “landscaping” out in the yard!)
I agree with Auntie. Dogs don’t think like that. They love being part of a pack. And we have found that having an older trained dog at home makes training a puppy 1000 times easier.
You guys are probably right and that I have a tendency to anthropomorphize my own feelings onto Penny. She’s just given us SO much joy, that all I want to do is give that back.
Don’t dogs like to have a proper pack to run with??? generally speaking?- at least as long as the dominance hierarchy is sorted out and accepted by everybody.
Drude — yes, I think so. Pointers aren’t “pack hounds” the way that foxhounds are — despite the similarity in appearance, but Penny sure does love other dogs. :)
I voted YES…I’m not going to, so I need to watch YOUR adventures! And
I just wanted to let you know I have nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. I hope this will be welcome news for you. Some people choose not to participate, others enjoy the opportunity to visit new-to-you blogs and to be visited by new-to-you bloggers. To see more about the award and accepting this nomination, please visit my post at http://www.marciameara.wordpress.com
Have a great day!
Hah!! Thanks Marcia! I’m perfectly happy to have you live your dog parenthood through me! And thank you for the Blog Award! Now I have to figure out how to put the badge up on my sidebar! :)
You’re welcome, Steve. There was an “Image Widget” available on my “Dashboard,” and all I had to do was link it to the post where I had displayed the badge when I told everyone of my nomination. Easy. Hope there’s one on your Widget list, too. I know not all themes offer the same ones.
Oh so much more to love – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_64vGQSSPA
Too much!!
We had to have our 18 year old dog, Mollie, put to sleep before Christmas and I am so missing having a dog – although I always said I would like to have a break from dog owning after Mollie (to do things like travel etc without having to worry about a dog). At the moment we can’t agree on what type of dog to get next either – I am keen on breeds like staffies or whippets while my husband more a working dog man. I am also determined that any dog we get will be from a rescue organisation.
Empress — yes, we got Penny a few months after our old, sweet dog Eutaw died (https://stevebetz.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/remembering-eutaw/). I, too, thought we were going to wait a little while longer between dogs, but I got laid off a couple of months after Eutaw died and that was a great time for me to raise a puppy.
I think we will probably succumb sooner rather than later too. Sorry you got laid off. Have you found something else yet?
Oh — I was laid off in mid-2009. A couple colleagues and I started our own gig in January 2010 — still going!!
Oh, that’s good!
No-brainer: You NEED one of those cuties! Great pictures — thanks.
It doesn’t seem like a very hard choice when you’re drunk on puppy cuteness, Fanny.
Just found your blog. First of all I’m sorry about your diagnosis and I hope the treatment goes well. And second – oh my goodness how could you resist those PUPPIES!??! . . . . . I most definitely would get a puppy. They rock!