Am I just overthinking things in being scared to get a new dog while having MS?

My mom is driving me nuts about wanting a new dog, and I want one too, but the whole fear that as soon as I bring a dog home, the MS will do something to me and I'd have to give up the dog is kind of scaring me a bit.

I've been looking at new dogs for three years. I go to pet stores all the time to see if they have anything I might like. Today I found a standard poodle and three toy/miniature poodles. I'd love the standard because I like the big doggies, but I'm not sure I have the energy for a big guy again.

I am also scared that my mom wouldnt be able to control a large dog. (I wouldnt let her do anything with TinyMonsters that required being outside on a leash. Tiny broke one of her ribs once yanking her off her feet...he didnt mean it...the lawn mower next door was just too irresistible for him to not chase it)

I think my mom could handle a little dog. I think I could probably do it too, except for the MS.

I like the puppies I saw, not sure which one I want. I looked at one of them, just because I love to snorgle (hold, pet, play with) puppies and this poodle looked like she was healthy (it was a group of three girls. I can only get one) and I even have names picked out if I manage to get one (either TinyMonsters 2.0 or Sam...leaning towards Sam) These puppies looked so much more healthier than the poodles I've seen in the other petstore in town that's known for dealing in puppy mill pups. These puppies looked healthy and didnt look...weird, like a lot of the other poodles I've seen in the other petstore. They had just arrived at the store 3 hours before I saw them, and they'd had a long day of being ripped away from their mommy and being checked over by the vet before getting their naps and dinner at the petstore.

Is it difficult to deal with a dog when you have MS? I'm totally mobile now. Most of my problems have been numbness and the occasional optic neuritis and migraines.

I actually think my biggest problem wouldnt be the MS part, but the back pain I've had since a car accident I had in 99 that's gotten worse in the past few years, so bending down to pick up a little dog might get bothersome.

I was outside today, and it was the first hot day of the year. (91* outside!!!) I was stupid and decided to trim the rose bushes in the front yard with the sun blasting down on me. Arms got tired and my arms were shaking for about two hours afterwards. (I have been lazy lately and got out of shape. Please tell me that if I work out a bit more that that wont be a permanent thing)

I'm a little worried that I'll have MS crap come up and wont be able to deal with the training and feeding and caring for the puppy and that my parents might not be able to do that either. Should I just chill and grab the puppy and take it home and snorgle it and just have fun with it?

I did not tell my mom that I found these puppies (at a petstore) today. She'd be down there camping out on their doorstep waiting for them to open if I did. I told my dad, and we're both considering getting a puppy. I want to decide in the next few days, because the puppies are only 8 weeks old and still in their fear stage. They just arrived at the pet store and if I get one, I want to get it sooner just in case the puppy would get imprinted by something scary happening to it.

The fear stage is a time when you want to do some good socialization of a puppy, and you want to try to avoid scary experiences. (Tiny had a bad one, and was afraid of loud noises and men yelling certain swear words that begin with the letter "F")

Am I trying to talk myself out of a dog, or into a dog? I think about dogs a lot. Really a lot. I'm pretty sure I'm obsessed with dogs right now. (hey, if you're going to have an obsession, dogs would be a good one as long as you dont start collecting them in large numbers)

I dont know if I'm using the MS as an excuse to keep from getting attached to another dog again like I was with Tiny, or if I'm using it as an excuse because I'm feeling lazy and dont want to deal with the temporary first few months of working at training the puppy that they go potty outside and not inside.

I've had a poodle before, and I know they're smart little guys and would be easy to train (wish I had obedienced trained my last poodle. He would have been the best dog. He was a genius. Tiny had to do a lot of remedial training, because he was stubborn and annoyed that he had to do homework. He was a lot like me schoolwise)

I think I might do it, since if I'm actively looking at puppies, and even picking out names and thinking about obedience training, I'm probably ready to do it. Plus, my aunt is getting her new pug in the next couple of months and it would be nice to watch the poodle and the pug grow up together. They could have playdates!

This time, having a dog the same size or close to the same size as my aunt's would be nice (Tiny weighed over 100 pounds, her pug was maybe 20 pounds)

Do I sound like I've made the decision to get one, or am I just driving myself nuts? Anyone else have problems deciding if they wanted to get a pet after they got diagnosed? Any suggestions? I guess I just want to know if pet ownership is difficult to do with the MS.

If I do get one of the puppies, the reason I want to name it Sam is because I'm a big fan of the character Sam Carter on Stargate SG-1. (The character is pretty much a genius and probably one of the few female characters on tv that hasnt been treated as if she's a moron just because she's female. Plus, Sam is a nice short name and easy for a dog to learn to respond to...)