I've been really wanting a pet, lately. Specifically, I'd like a dog. A big ol' mutt, like the first dog I ever knew. The old family dog, Buddy. He was a mutt we rescued (as a puppy) from the SPCA (now called the Edmonton Humane Society).
He was huge, but friendly. He was surprisingly gentle. He was an interesting dog in that he would defend any child that he thought was being threatened by an adult. I don't just mean the children in our family, his pack, I mean any child. He could have just met you that very instant, but if you were a child and a larger person seemed to be trying to harm you, he would try to put himself in between you and that larger person. It was a strange sort of "compassion" for a dog to have.
Normally, if you aren't in the pack, you get treated as a potential threat until proven otherwise. It doesn't matter if you're a small child, you are treated with suspicion and, sometimes, aggression until the master tells the dog that you're okay. Buddy didn't care who you were. If you were a small child, you were instantly approved as a member of his pack.
This seemingly compassionate behaviour (I don't know if a dog can actually feel compassion, but this human trait is the closest term I can think of to describe it) may be why I have such a love of mutts. Or maybe it's just because my first dog was a mutt. I don't know. I've known other dogs since then, purebreds and mutts alike, and I know that there are good and bad dogs among every breed and crossbreed. Still, I am naturally drawn to mutts.
Unfortunately, I live in an apartment. Even if I was allowed to have pets in this building, I don't think I'd have a dog. It isn't right for a dog not to have a yard to run in. No matter how often you walk your dog, he still needs a yard to run around in (at least in my opinion). Alas, I don't think that I will be a home owner for at least another couple of years.
I've thought about renting, but it's almost more expensive to rent than to buy. Plus, it's hard to save up to make a down payment if you're spending $1500-2000 a month on rent. I've considered the idea of renting a house with another couple of people, but I don't know that I want to start my marriage in a house with roommates. But, if it were the right people (maybe my brother and his girlfriend/unofficial wife), it might be doable. Hell, it might even be enjoyable. If it were my brother, it would be family, and I think I could survive that. Of course, it would have to be a mutual decision, and I'm not sure that Ashley would agree to it (for the very same reasons that I'm not sure I would want to do it).
Regardless, as much as I want a dog, I don't live in an environment that would be appropriate for one. But, as soon as I own a house and a proper backyard, I will be visiting the Humane Society, looking for a special mutt to bring home with me.
He was huge, but friendly. He was surprisingly gentle. He was an interesting dog in that he would defend any child that he thought was being threatened by an adult. I don't just mean the children in our family, his pack, I mean any child. He could have just met you that very instant, but if you were a child and a larger person seemed to be trying to harm you, he would try to put himself in between you and that larger person. It was a strange sort of "compassion" for a dog to have.
Normally, if you aren't in the pack, you get treated as a potential threat until proven otherwise. It doesn't matter if you're a small child, you are treated with suspicion and, sometimes, aggression until the master tells the dog that you're okay. Buddy didn't care who you were. If you were a small child, you were instantly approved as a member of his pack.
This seemingly compassionate behaviour (I don't know if a dog can actually feel compassion, but this human trait is the closest term I can think of to describe it) may be why I have such a love of mutts. Or maybe it's just because my first dog was a mutt. I don't know. I've known other dogs since then, purebreds and mutts alike, and I know that there are good and bad dogs among every breed and crossbreed. Still, I am naturally drawn to mutts.
Unfortunately, I live in an apartment. Even if I was allowed to have pets in this building, I don't think I'd have a dog. It isn't right for a dog not to have a yard to run in. No matter how often you walk your dog, he still needs a yard to run around in (at least in my opinion). Alas, I don't think that I will be a home owner for at least another couple of years.
I've thought about renting, but it's almost more expensive to rent than to buy. Plus, it's hard to save up to make a down payment if you're spending $1500-2000 a month on rent. I've considered the idea of renting a house with another couple of people, but I don't know that I want to start my marriage in a house with roommates. But, if it were the right people (maybe my brother and his girlfriend/unofficial wife), it might be doable. Hell, it might even be enjoyable. If it were my brother, it would be family, and I think I could survive that. Of course, it would have to be a mutual decision, and I'm not sure that Ashley would agree to it (for the very same reasons that I'm not sure I would want to do it).
Regardless, as much as I want a dog, I don't live in an environment that would be appropriate for one. But, as soon as I own a house and a proper backyard, I will be visiting the Humane Society, looking for a special mutt to bring home with me.