A New Companion?

I drive into the driveway and something is different. I unlock the door, turn off the alarm, and walk through the house. Empty. Alone. To many this may be the normal course of arriving back home at the end of the day, but after fourteen years with a dog to greet you, every day, without exception, this is a scenario I dread with every ounce of my being. Part of it is habit, or just familiarity, but much of it is love, plain and simple.

I've been considering the possibility of adopting another dog for a few years now. A few times a bit more seriously than others, but never seriously enough to make it happen. I will, without a doubt, be devastated when Sydney is gone. Her death itself will be difficult, but the truly hard part will be the loss of that daily companionship which becomes so comfortable and familiar over such a long period of time. Over the years, the interactions have changed. When she was younger and had to stay outside during the days, I left for work early because I could not deal with being the one who was last to leave and having to look at that pitiful expression of loneliness and abject depression which would come over her face when she knew she was going to be left alone. During that time, I was often the first to arrive home though, and was greeted with the most wondrous shows of affection you can imagine. In her later years, now that she remains indoors when the rest of the pack is away, she frequently watches from the window as we leave, and occasionally is waiting there when we return, but even if she isn't at the window, you still receive that special welcome, that only a dog can provide, once she knows you have returned. It is this, this companionship, this loyalty, this bond between species that some of us develop, which transforms these canines from pets to true family members, much like children or siblings to those of us who develop this bond, which will be unbearable.

Back to the thought of a new companion. I have a few criteria which I deem somewhat important if we do get another dog. Sydney doesn't have a dog odor and is catlike in her grooming and cleanliness habits, which makes a Whippet or Italian Greyhound, maybe even a Basenji or Ibizan Hound. Low shedding would be nice and of the above this includes only the Italian Greyhound and Ibizan Hound or Pharaoh Hound, but other low shedders I like are German Wirehaired Pointers and Bichon Frise, but the Bichon will require extensive grooming on a regular basis. Anther consideration is the ability to be alone during the day alone. This one is a guess to some extent, and obviously training plays a big role, but Golden Retrievers are one of the few I would reliably trust to be non-destructive.



Short version: Anggie found a dog at a local shelter, who appeared similar in appearance to Sydney when she was young. I stopped to see him on Thursday, immediately liked him, (the same would probably be true of a third there though to be honest), and decided we needed to consider him. It is now Saturday, and we just returned from a visit with Sydney. This was the first time I saw him out of his kennel and he is a fine looking dog, 11 months old (they estimate), and very sweet and slightly submissive, but not fearful. We all gathered together in a fenced in area to socialize, and things began well. The necessary sniffing occurred and he wasn't overly aggressive, which tends to set Sydney off immediately. And off leash he, Palmer, tried to socialize with Sydney at first, but she pretty much ignored him. As time passed, Sydney was making an obvious attempt to avoid Palmer and I tried to get the two of them together, but every time he would come near, she would move away. I was able to get them together on two occasions as time passed and the first time she snapped at him and he was obviously frightened and moved away; The second time I decided to end the meeting. Could they get along? I wish I knew. I really did like him and believe he would make a great pet. It sounds like he may have some separation issues, but we may run into that with any dog we get, but his overall temperament seemed very sweet and playful. This is probably more so bad timing than anything else, as we have already planned our vacation for only one dog, and I don't know that we can accommodate another with our current plans. That and the fact that work will not allow me to take time away at the moment to facilitate any training and adjustment issues. I'm sad, for sure, as Palmer seemed to be a good match that time and patience could have made work with our family, but for now, it's probably best for us as well as him, to not make this decision to adopt him, and hope he finds another great home and loving family to live with.