(no subject)
sometimes i forget that i don't post every little thing that's going on around me. especially lately -- i haven't been posting much at all! it's that whole i-don't-wanna-sound-like-i'm-whining thing. but this next bit is definitely postworthy.
i've always wanted a dog. i never had one growing up because my dad said we were too busy to take care of one properly. which is partially true; but really, he just didn't want to bother. i know the latter for a fact because he thought the cat, who slept 18 hours a day minimum, was a nuisance.
my work situation changed last month. (i'm not going to get into it right here/right now but) suffice to say, i have tons more flexibility in my schedule, and i can work from home whenever i'm not actively needed in san francisco. this is both a blessing and a curse. it saves money, but it also means i rarely leave the house. and even though i feel ok with that, i *know* it's not healthy for me in any way/shape/form.
danny's job changed too. he was working in serramonte, which is about 45 minutes south of san rafael; he was recently transferred to the northgate lenscrafters, which you can literally almost see from our living room window. it's right across the freeway. talk about convenient! a five minute commute each way means he's home more as well, and that he can pop up to the house if need be on breaks.
on top of all this lifestyle change, i've been emotionally... distressed. that sounds dramatic, and i suppose it sort of is, but i've had a rough couple of months. when 2008 began, i knew exactly what i was about, and what my life was about. all that drastically changed in a few weeks and left me very disoriented, very emotional, and pretty torn up inside. not knowing who you are or where you're going is a scary feeling. i'd sit on the couch, alone in a quiet house, and think, "god i'm lonely. god i'm scared. where's my protector?"
it was on a day just like that, that it hit me. i can have a puppy now. i'm home all the time. danny is close by. i'm in need of company. i need a reason to get out of the house. a puppy fulfills all those things and more.
and yes, i'm aware of what a puppy entails. i'm watching colin and takahiro raise elwood, their sheltie puppy, who's less than a year old and already so big he's hard to pick up with both arms. i've seen the frustration, and the joy, first-hand.
anyhoo, i told danny that i wanted a puppy, and to my surprise he was ok with the idea. excited, even. now that might be because he can leave the house for work 5-6 days a week, but sometimes it's nice to not fight uphill battles. : )
this was all a few weeks ago. maybe even a month ago by now. we've been researching. i went through the official list of registered dogs and disqualified every breed that wasn't a good fit for our household... that was a lot of disqualified dogs! it went something like this:
- no large dogs. we live in a townhouse.
- no herding dogs (collie, shepard, etc.). not only do they bark and get underfoot, they would make lara VERY unhappy.
- no toy/lap dogs. i detest yappers.
- no active/genetic hunters (beagle, spaniel, etc.). they're too noisy, and again, lara would be unhappy.
this narrowed the list from dozens of candidates to like... seven. the welsh corgie was a good fit, but i'm not a fan of elongated dogs. the english bulldog has the perfect temperament but, god help me, as adorable as they are i can't stand the way they look. there was the basenji, a small african dog that yodels rather than barks and grooms itself like a cat - danny loved this dog - but they're only one step removed from feral and they don't always do well with cats.
then we found the Shiba Inu.
the Shiba Inu is a japanese dog (hahahaha figures right?), and one of the oldest documented breeds in the world. they were bred for forest/brush hunting, so they're small, and because their ancestors are chinese dogs, they have thick coats and curled tails (like the chow chow). however, they have the "spitz face" (foxy in appearance) and beautiful, bright red coloring. the Shiba Inu essentially looks like a miniature, reddish husky dog, with slanted eyes.
shibas rarely grow above two feet tall and have been domesticated long enough to not be active hunting dogs. they're not overt barkers and they have a genetic disposition for personal cleanliness and an mostly-indoor lifestyle. they're intelligent enough to question their owners, but if raised with people from puppyhood, they adhere to the pack hierarchy. and if you get them young enough, and socialize them properly, they get along well with cats and other dogs.
danny and i both would rather adopt a puppy from a shelter, but the local shelters seem to have tons of large dog mixes, and we just can't risk getting a puppy that looks small and grows into a pony-sized companion. if we had a house with a yard, it would be different, but for now we have to be selective and get a dog we know will fit here. the Shiba Inu, though not perfect, meets almost all my criteria.
so now we're in the puppy finding stage. there was one cream colored Shiba Inu on puppy finder, but he's been sold. i emailed another breeder today about a traditional Shiba - i'm hoping to hear back from her soon. but if not, we'll just keep looking!
but yeah, that's what's going on in the whole puppy front!
love kittie
i've always wanted a dog. i never had one growing up because my dad said we were too busy to take care of one properly. which is partially true; but really, he just didn't want to bother. i know the latter for a fact because he thought the cat, who slept 18 hours a day minimum, was a nuisance.
my work situation changed last month. (i'm not going to get into it right here/right now but) suffice to say, i have tons more flexibility in my schedule, and i can work from home whenever i'm not actively needed in san francisco. this is both a blessing and a curse. it saves money, but it also means i rarely leave the house. and even though i feel ok with that, i *know* it's not healthy for me in any way/shape/form.
danny's job changed too. he was working in serramonte, which is about 45 minutes south of san rafael; he was recently transferred to the northgate lenscrafters, which you can literally almost see from our living room window. it's right across the freeway. talk about convenient! a five minute commute each way means he's home more as well, and that he can pop up to the house if need be on breaks.
on top of all this lifestyle change, i've been emotionally... distressed. that sounds dramatic, and i suppose it sort of is, but i've had a rough couple of months. when 2008 began, i knew exactly what i was about, and what my life was about. all that drastically changed in a few weeks and left me very disoriented, very emotional, and pretty torn up inside. not knowing who you are or where you're going is a scary feeling. i'd sit on the couch, alone in a quiet house, and think, "god i'm lonely. god i'm scared. where's my protector?"
it was on a day just like that, that it hit me. i can have a puppy now. i'm home all the time. danny is close by. i'm in need of company. i need a reason to get out of the house. a puppy fulfills all those things and more.
and yes, i'm aware of what a puppy entails. i'm watching colin and takahiro raise elwood, their sheltie puppy, who's less than a year old and already so big he's hard to pick up with both arms. i've seen the frustration, and the joy, first-hand.
anyhoo, i told danny that i wanted a puppy, and to my surprise he was ok with the idea. excited, even. now that might be because he can leave the house for work 5-6 days a week, but sometimes it's nice to not fight uphill battles. : )
this was all a few weeks ago. maybe even a month ago by now. we've been researching. i went through the official list of registered dogs and disqualified every breed that wasn't a good fit for our household... that was a lot of disqualified dogs! it went something like this:
- no large dogs. we live in a townhouse.
- no herding dogs (collie, shepard, etc.). not only do they bark and get underfoot, they would make lara VERY unhappy.
- no toy/lap dogs. i detest yappers.
- no active/genetic hunters (beagle, spaniel, etc.). they're too noisy, and again, lara would be unhappy.
this narrowed the list from dozens of candidates to like... seven. the welsh corgie was a good fit, but i'm not a fan of elongated dogs. the english bulldog has the perfect temperament but, god help me, as adorable as they are i can't stand the way they look. there was the basenji, a small african dog that yodels rather than barks and grooms itself like a cat - danny loved this dog - but they're only one step removed from feral and they don't always do well with cats.
then we found the Shiba Inu.
the Shiba Inu is a japanese dog (hahahaha figures right?), and one of the oldest documented breeds in the world. they were bred for forest/brush hunting, so they're small, and because their ancestors are chinese dogs, they have thick coats and curled tails (like the chow chow). however, they have the "spitz face" (foxy in appearance) and beautiful, bright red coloring. the Shiba Inu essentially looks like a miniature, reddish husky dog, with slanted eyes.
shibas rarely grow above two feet tall and have been domesticated long enough to not be active hunting dogs. they're not overt barkers and they have a genetic disposition for personal cleanliness and an mostly-indoor lifestyle. they're intelligent enough to question their owners, but if raised with people from puppyhood, they adhere to the pack hierarchy. and if you get them young enough, and socialize them properly, they get along well with cats and other dogs.
danny and i both would rather adopt a puppy from a shelter, but the local shelters seem to have tons of large dog mixes, and we just can't risk getting a puppy that looks small and grows into a pony-sized companion. if we had a house with a yard, it would be different, but for now we have to be selective and get a dog we know will fit here. the Shiba Inu, though not perfect, meets almost all my criteria.
so now we're in the puppy finding stage. there was one cream colored Shiba Inu on puppy finder, but he's been sold. i emailed another breeder today about a traditional Shiba - i'm hoping to hear back from her soon. but if not, we'll just keep looking!
but yeah, that's what's going on in the whole puppy front!
love kittie