But let's back up a little first. We used to have a dog. His name was Tank. I rescued him back in 2010 when Steve was gone on his first deployment. He was already 6 years old and completely house trained. He was so mellow. He was the perfect companion.
When we received orders for South Korea, we knew we couldn't take him with us. He was getting older and we were worried he wouldn't survive the long flight. So my parents graciously took him in for two years.
When we returned home from Korea, we were so excited to have him as part of our family again. We arrived home on a Tuesday. That Friday, we had to put him down. He was sick, lifeless, and his stomach had filled with fluid. At 13-years-old, there wasn't anything we could do.
We always knew we would get another dog again for our family. More recently, Sadie has been asking for a puppy and I was getting "puppy fever." We had a few people remind us of how much work dog's are, but when you want something, not many people can talk you out of it.
So we began our search on Saturday. We had always talked about wanting a Golden Doodle because they are hypoallergenic and don't shed, so when we found an amazing opportunity to adopt a Golden Doodle puppy, we jumped at it.
We brought the puppy home on Sunday night and the whole family was in puppy bliss....
Until Monday.
Once Steve was at work and I was at home with two kids and a puppy... one of those kids still being a baby himself, I realized exactly what I had gotten myself into. I essentially had just had another baby, just the furry kind.
I couldn't leave Ryder and the puppy on the floor at the same time unless I was right there sitting with him. The puppy was all over Ryder, nibbling on his ears and feet. I was either holding Ryder or holding the puppy. I couldn't get anything done and neither one of them were happy at the same time.
I realized the mistake I made. There was no way this was fair to Ryder. Let alone the puppy. I started to feel like I had taken away part of Ryder's much deserved attention. Ryder was my first priority, which also wasn't fair to the puppy. He needed owners that could put him first.
I called Steve in tears. I loved this little puppy already, but I knew it wasn't what was best for our family right now. Of course, he understand and was very supportive, telling me that all of my concerns were very valid.
Long story short... we decided to give the puppy back.
Thankfully, the original owners took the puppy back knowing they already had other families that were interested. We were SO grateful for their help.
I hesitated to write this post in fear of being judged. In fear of the "I told you so" comments we would get. But then Steve reminded me that it didn't matter what others thought. We had to do what was right for OUR family. And to be honest, I wouldn't give that day up with the puppy for the world. Had we never brought him home, we never would have realized the impact it would have on our family and we would still be on the search.
We now know that we do want to add a dog to our family again... one day. But today is not that day.
Tomorrow isn't either ;-)
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