Dear So and So

[NbyNW]

Dear Happyfundog,

Your off-leash privileges are hereby revoked. I thought between your good behavior of late and your general confusion over DST, I'd reward us both with a nice mid-day walk at the off-leash area to enjoy what little good weather we have left. (Our off-leash areas are not fenced, they are HUGE, and have lots of places to hide)

But when you run off for nearly three hours (after a one-hour walk already!) like you did today and make me worry, not to mention take up my entire afternoon looking for you when I have Things I Need to Get Done and People to Let Into the House to Take Care of Last Week's Basement Leak, I have to conclude that you no longer have the good judgment to stay by my side or at least where I can see you, like you used to do.

And I didn't have anything to eat between breakfast (9AM) and finding you (4PM)

I am glad you did not encounter a coyote or wander off into the neighborhood and get hit by a car during your afternoon of adventures.

Sincerely,
Your Beta-mom.
(Yes, I do outrank you.)

[lph]

(Yes, I do outrank you.)

Hope you have a more peaceful day today!

[Catrin]

Dear Happyfundog,

Your off-leash privileges are hereby revoked. ...
(Yes, I do outrank you.)

LOL, what LPH said - and I am glad that your dog wasn't harmed and hope you were able to get the basement looked after.

I've never had a dog, but since I can't have a cat any longer due to strong/persistent allergies, I have considered getting a small dog. After reading things like this I am unsure my nerves could take it though, perhaps a nice set of parakeets would do instead

Seriously, as much as I am not home these days due to work/riding/gym/etc. I probably don't need to have any pets at all outside of fish and they are not what one could consider interactive... Ah well.

[emily_in_nc]

Seriously, as much as I am not home these days due to work/riding/gym/etc. I probably don't need to have any pets at all outside of fish and they are not what one could consider interactive... Ah well.

Yes, a dog will suffer being alone so much of the time, so unless you're willing to do doggy day-care, I wouldn't get a dog at this time. They really do need companionship and socialization.

[Catrin]

Yes, a dog will suffer being alone so much of the time, so unless you're willing to do doggy day-care, I wouldn't get a dog at this time. They really do need companionship and socialization.

That is one of the reasons why I've never had a dog. Cats are a little different, especially if they have a playmate to keep company with when I am not home. I just love cats anyway - not that that there is anything wrong with dogs! If I were close enough to home from work that I could come home in the middle of the day I might consider a small dog, but that is just a bad idea I think.

[NbyNW]

Thanks, everyone.

Gordy is at daycare today so I get to relax a bit today. We were warned when we adopted him that he was smart, so I guess he just outsmarted me yesterday. I am going to be smarter in the future and not take him to that particular park anymore. There are adventures there that he simply cannot resist.

Catrin, you're right -- if you can't give a dog the time and energy he/she needs, the responsible thing to do is not get one! Doesn't matter what the dog's size is -- they need their routines, and they don't take holidays!

IMHO, a good doggy daycare won't take a new client unless the dog has had some basic behavior training and is already well socialized. It's not their job to teach your dog how to behave. That said, Gordy's daycare has been indispensable in reinforcing good behavior.

I'm a big fan of parakeets -- we had a few when I was growing up. Very trainable and not as high maintenance as a dog!

[Catrin]

I have thought about birds before, but in the end what I REALLY want is a cat, and I cannot have one

C'est la vie - I can get my feline fix at friends houses..I can be around them, just can't live with them in a small apartment. I've stayed with friends in a very large house with no carpet and was fine...but they were very clean and there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere - let alone a stray cat hair! I don't know that I would be able to replicate that

[indysteel]

Not a stray cat hair? What's their secret. We try to keep our two-cat household clean, but I still feel like it's covered in fur. We have kitty fur tumbleweeds. When Sophie was still alive, we called them tumblesophs.