A trip to see the bloodhound in the no-kill shelter was all I needed to finalize my craziness, a decision. No more hounds or dogs. The vibe wasn't there when I saw her, talked to her and petted her. She is a different story at at different time. I knew walking back to my car the urge to rescue a dog from the shelter was over. For some reason I just didn't want any more than I have. There were other changes too after I got home. These photos are from today.
I found something else out today after I returned from seeing the bloodhound. It was Stella. I wanted a rescue like she was, but I know that bloodhound could never be replaced no matter how many I adopted. I can't adopt all of the dogs I see. "you can't save them all" rings in my head.
So I have to do what other dog friends have done, no matter how much the overloaded shelters are ... don't look at those websites, unfollow them on Facebook, don't look at those available for adoption, don't foster, don't visit the shelters just to have something to do ... ignore those sites.
So I unfollowed all those on Facebook, I deleted the bookmarks to the local shelter sites and then as I do every day ... I laid down in the center of my bike room and let the hounds and dogs maul me all wanting attention first. I have all that I need and they keep me busy. Remember I walk each hound and dog individually.
I don't feel relieved in any way. It is nice though not to have that craziness going on in my mind and spending hours looking at dogs that need a home.
Ava will not retrieve the ball but she will run just as fast as Watson then watch him pick the ball up. She is showing signs of being a very good watch dog and as she grows I can see the features of the German Shepherd that I have read about, start to show up.
It was a good day in many ways here in "the tropics" of Southern Indiana.
An excellent but difficult decision has been made. Those are hard to make I know all to well.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about how hard it is. Every photo of a different dog made it harder. Sometimes you have to do what you know is right and not what you would like to do.
DeleteYou have such a great gang that seems to get along well. Bringing another dog into the mix might not work out as well as it has with the ones you have now. You don't want to jinx it. Another consideration is the expense of adding another one to the gang. I really miss not having a dog, but get my "fix" with the neighbor's dogs when they are out walking. All the dogs know that I have treats for them.
ReplyDeleteBTY our fire is now 83% contained at 30,232 acres, with two homes lost and a couple of more damaged. Really a miracle and we are all so appreciative of our fire fighters and first responders, who have been absolutely fantastic!
That's great news. I remember that first day of the fire and by the second day it was looking grim in your area. Fire fighters are amazing people. You are right about things might not work with a new dog. I am glad these four like and look out for each other. They groom each other and rarely if ever fight over the same bone or toy.
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