[Erin524]

My dad has just informed me that a brand new BOUVIER puppy is available. (from the same breeder that brought us the greatness that was my TinyMonsters)

I dont know what to do. I want a new dog. I'd love another Bouvier, but with the MS, I'm not sure that I can handle another Bouv. The idea that I might be able to train it to be an assistance dog is appealing tho. (probably more for my mom than for me.)

I need to give my dad an answer, but I wanted to go to an allergist before I got another dog (might possibly be allergic to dogs now)

I just dont know if I can handle raising another puppy...especially a dog as large as a Bouvier can get. (Tiny was 150 pounds during his fat years)

and then there's the whole "bouviers only live about 10yrs" thing.

But, I really want a puppy! I dont know if I should say yes. (I need to re-puppy proof the house)

The puppy is a little boy. The breeder says she thinks he's better than TinyMonsters was. (if I get this puppy, he'll probably be named TinyMonsters 2.0)

I'm excited about the possibility of a puppy, but a little freaked out at the work they are.

Eeek!! I could be a dog owner again very soon! Eeek!!!

I need to call the breeder and see how big this little monster is expected to get.

[Niko]

If you can do it and know that there's help readily available to you ... then go for it.

It will make you happy


Cheers,

Niko

[Erin524]

I think it'll make me happy. For some reason right now tho, I'm feeling like crying right now because I still miss TinyMonsters so much. It still seems like it was just the other day that he up and died on me.

I dont know if that's some weird emotional thing that the MS causes (what's the term for that...emotional liability?) I cry for sad or cute commercials. I'm not sure what's setting off the tears right now.

I was talking about the puppy with my dad a few minutes ago. This might be one of our last chances to get another Bouvier, and probably the last chance for getting one from Tiny's breeder. (she's older, doesnt breed her dogs very often. It's been 10yrs since she bred any of her dogs)

The thing that's making me hesitate is the MS...and my parents health. I wont be able to let my mom hold this dog's leash when he gets older. (Tiny had pulled her down once and she broke ribs when she slid into the fence as he dragged her across the yard chasing the neighbor's lawnmower)

My mom does not have the judgment to know when she cant handle something. (Like driving, or holding a leash that has 150 pounds of dog on the other end)

She's also got bad knees, a bad back and chronic pain. My dad has a heart condition...and he still works. So, it's going to be up to me to be supervising this dog during the day. Good thing I believe in crate training.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get used to having a curious little furball running around, eating my crochet projects and my knitting needles.

I really LOVE dogs, and bouviers in particular. I loved owning the one I had. Best dog ever. I really miss him. I'm kind of worried I wont like the new dog if we get him because he wont be TinyMonsters.

If we get this one, he better be healthier than Tiny was. I had to take him to the doggy ER so many times...and he always decided to have his health problems at 3 and 4 in the morning.

I just hope my dad doesnt rush me into making a decision. I know if I go see this puppy, I'm coming home with it.

What is intriguing about the puppy, is that I loved training Tiny. It was fun...and the idea of training the new puppy to possibly be an assistance dog (if he's got the right personality) kind of sounds like it could be fun to do. Since right now, I'm mobile and still capable of doing the work of the training. (it could end up being an assistance dog for my mom tho)

Right now I'm really tired. (not sleeping well lately) and the idea of bringing a puppy in here feels a bit challenging. Especially if the puppy is as young as Tiny was when we first got him. I have pictures of him being 8 weeks old (current dog ordinance rules say that a puppy has to be 12 weeks old before he leaves his mommy)

up to 12 weeks is "Fear Stage" for dogs. I dont want to scare him or get him into any bad habits that I cant break because of him being a young'un and too little to come home with us. (the breeder pretty much made us bring Tiny home so young, because she had 8 other puppies in his litter, and 6 other nearly adult bouviers in her house)

I think I'm going to go take a nap.

[SallyC]

Awwwwww how exciting, Erin. I hope you find a way to get him and to train him. I know how hard it will be..

Pictures please..

[Erin524]

My dad said he's not going to push me into deciding. We're going to have a blizzard start in the next 12hrs (if the weatherguys are to be believed) so we wouldnt be getting him this weekend if I decide to go ahead and snatch this puppy up. (expecting 10 inches of snow tomorrow)

I'm just looking around my room and trying to figure out how the heck I'm going to puppy proof the place. I'll probably have to do what I did with Tiny, tie the puppy to myself and just take him everywhere with me that I can.

I just dont know if I have the energy and stamina for a big dog. (not to say that little dogs arent work too)

My dad said he'd talk to the breeder (a doctor he works with at the hospital) and find out exactly what she said about the puppy. He heard about the puppy secondhand thru people who knew that we lost Tiny in 2006 and that we'd originally gotten him from the doctor.

Apparently she said that this puppy was going to be perfect for us. That he's really smart, and very loving. She told the girls who talked to my dad about the dog and said that he was a better example of a bouvier than Tiny was. (that says a lot....Tiny was really good at being a bouvier!)

[doydie]

It sounds like you have already answered your own question! Have fun.

[Erin524]

I just told my boyfriend about the puppy. He says that he knows I'm going to go get it. I know I'll regret it if I dont....but I'm scared that I'll regret it if I do.

It's the stupid MS making me feel not too sure about whether or not I can handle this dog. I lost Tiny just before all the MS crap started up. (like two weeks before!)

I never had any experience dealing with him and MS symptoms at the same time. I dont know if I can handle a dog that can potentially get larger than 100 pounds any more.

I know if I go see this dog in a day or two, I'm going to come home with a puppy. I'm a pushover when it comes to babydogs, especially bouvier babydogs.

argh!!! The indecision is driving me nuts!

I've said for awhile that I probably wont ever have kids. I used up all my maternal instinct on Tiny. Getting the puppy will probably be the closest I ever get to having a kid.

I just wish I didnt have the MS...I'd have been at the breeder's house tonight, picking out a name, giving the puppy a tummy rub, and then I'd have taken it shopping at PetCo.

Stupid MS! It's trying to scare me out of getting the puppy. (well that, and the fear that my mom will suddenly think she can handle a full grown bouvier and will take him out in the front yard and end up getting dragged behind a school bus if the dog takes off after the bus like Tiny always tried to.)

[sabimax]

Never not do something due to your MS is my motto!!
Sounds like the dog would make you smile, and although a lot of work, could keep you smiling thru all the crap of MS!!

I think BIG could be the new puppies name, with that breed hehehehe

hugsss and good luck whatever you decide, but thinking you wont want to try it, hugssss,sarah

[PolarExpress]

I don't wanna encourage you to do anything you don't really feel ready for, but sounds like you've kinda already made up your mind ..You know the work that goes into a puppy..I'm not familiar with the breed (other than they are big, beautiful dogs), but how "trainable" are they as assistance dogs? Is there anywhere nearby that could help with that? Seems like a large breed would be perfect for helping you and you mom with any mobility issues if trained for it..
Gosh, then there's the emotional reality that none of that matters & you just love the dog..
I don't envy your decision..Baby anythings are pretty much irrisistable to me..

[Erin524]

I just talked to my dad before he left for work.

He's decided that he cant just get the dog because he wants it. He's been thinking a lot about it since yesterday, just like I was.

The reason that we're not going to get the dog isnt my MS...my mom is probably the biggest factor for why we're not going to get him. (good thing we didnt tell her about him)

My mom is in her late 60s. She's had two knee surgeries, a bad back, she might possibly be early stage alzheimers too. (or just brain damage from a head injury she had 50yrs ago is finally starting to really show up)

She can be extremely stubborn, and has REALLY BAD judgment when it comes to what she can do, especially with a large dog. Tiny had hurt her once or twice just knocking her down while being a big goofball. She also had accidentally set him free a few times when she'd take him outside unsupervised by either my dad or me.

My big fear, and I guess it's my dad's, is that she'll get stupid one afternoon if my dad and I arent home, and she'll take the new puppy out, and he'd be a typical bouvier and he'd either knock her down in a fit of silliness, or he'll be like Tiny with a strong chase instinct and he'd go after a bus or a loud car and drag her into the rose bushes or the street or something.

My mom is too frail to have such a large dog like a bouvier. She really cant be trusted around a large dog.

I had pretty much nearly convinced myself last night that I wanted this dog. I was picking out names, and trying to figure out if I wanted to train him in English and sign language like I did with Tiny. So, I tried for about 10 or 15 minutes to convince my dad that I thought I could be a dogMom again.

Since my dad would be the one paying for the dog, and paying the insurance that the city pretty much requires people to have for a large dog. He's the one with the final say.

I'm a bit disappointed. Now I wish he had just listened to me for the past 3 years when I'd told him I was considering a much smaller dog (20 pounds or less. Something my mom could have handled) I wish he hadnt told me about the puppy and had me fantasizing about having another bouvier.

My dad and I were talking about it this morning, and I can tell he wanted the dog, and he could tell that I wanted the dog, but that my mom's health situation and my health situation were what was making me hesitate. He's going to tell the breeder today about me having MS and about my mom her...problems...and that it's probably mostly my mom and her lack of judgment that's what's going to keep us from taking the puppy.

My dad said that he'll pay for me to go to the allergist and see if I am allergic to dogs. If I'm not allergic, then we might start to shop for a smaller more mom-sized kind of a dog. (I'm thinking lhasa apso or poodle...maybe a pug)

You have no idea how much I wanted this puppy. So much that I can just imagine how cute he is and was almost dreaming about obedience training with him last night. I can almost smell the bouvier fart smell that it'll probably be doing while sleeping. (you have not truly experienced a bouvier until it's farted in close proximity to you. They could bottle that smell and send it to Gitmo...the bad guys would give up and tell everything they know after a few sniffs of that. Bouvier farts could probably be considered a weapon of mass destruction and would be banned by the United Nations.)

I agree with my dad tho...we cant do it with my mom and the way she is. We're going to need a much smaller dog (maybe something small enough that she can pick up and carry, instead of a dog that's big enough to drag her to the pet store and back without breaking a sweat)

It's just the nostalgia of TinyMonsters that's making me want another bouvier. I'm also scared that I'd be comparing that puppy to Tiny so much that I'd be disappointed when it wasnt the same as Tiny. Not really fair to the puppy.


Now I'm in a big puppy mood. Maybe I'll go crochet myself a dog today. We're going to have a blizzard start in a few hours. I have a lot of yarn, and a big bag of polyfil stuffing for toys and I'm going to have a lot of free time today. Maybe I'll just make myself a yarn dog. Maybe I'll make myself a litter of them.



I think I'm going back to bed. Fell asleep at 3am, woke up at 5am when I heard my dad upstairs getting ready for work. I think I need the naptime now. Maybe I'll dream of playing with Tiny.