I always vowed that I would never become a crazy cat lady. Maybe it stems from my experience with my great aunt, who was an extraordinary woman, but one who could not pass up any pathetic feline soul. Aunt Bea would allow any tiger, calico or Tom that came to her door access into her home. At the age of 89 and unable to see (and, evidently, smell) she would invite the most horrific, mangled, smelly cats into her house. Most of them were so frightened of people that they would hide out in the dark basement and we would only get a glimpse of their gleaming eyes when we peeked down at them but oh – the smell – I will never forget that.
I have had several cats and know that I could never become a crazy cat lady- EVER! But I am now finding myself on the verge of becoming a crazy dog lady (or maybe just a dog crazy lady). Last year after the loss of my 14 yr. old dog, Bailey, I was fairly confident that I could survive in a pet free home. Then in November my significant other mentioned something about never having any pets when growing up which led to the conversation that included a phrase such as “we should get a puppy”. Little did he know that those few words would instantaneously spark a frantic Internet puppy search. Now, it was November, mind you, so everyone was thinking the same thing – what better present than a puppy for Christmas? I searched high and low – within a 600 mile radius of our little town and came up with only two leads. I sent in a four page application for a particular puppy – a 9 week old Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab mix – and waited. Then, just one week before Christmas I got the good news – I could pick up my puppy.
My daughter and I made a 3 hour round trip car ride to pick up our new little bundle of joy. We named him Gus and just couldn’t keep our hands off of him. Fast forward 4 months. As if I didn’t have my hands full with Gus – the now 60 lb. perpetual chewer, jumper, counter surfer and garbage raider, I got the itch to search for another pup. This time I found a 3 month old Border Collie/Lab mix at a rescue two and a half hours away. I quickly made the decision to adopt him even when everyone was telling me it was a bad idea. I just couldn’t get his adorable face off my mind. So, enter, Ridley – 35 lbs of pure energy.
Now, with both boys fast approaching their first birthday I find myself unable to stop the constant need to peruse the rescue sites. Last weekend my daughter and I visited our local shelter “just to see what they had” (and of course, to make a monetary donation) and she immediately fell in love with a lovely 2 yr. old pointer mix. Am I now nurturing a second generation crazy dog lady? The volunteer gleefully informed us that they were getting 9 new puppies that would be showcased at their open house this coming weekend and I am afraid I will not be able to stop myself from taking a peek and possibly bringing home another! So , let me ask you this – how many dogs does it take to make a crazy dog lady??
Two Lazy Dogs 
[…] not letting everyone join in on the fun. My very first post was about my fear of turning into a crazy dog lady. Followed by one of my favorite posts about what, on a daily basis, comes out of my […]
It only takes one… if the lady’s crazy. 😛
Hey. The lady is NOT crazy. 😛 (at least, I’m pretty sure she’s not)
I am a crazy dog lady. So, you are ok in my book and I don’t consider you the least bit crazy. I’d have 10 Doxies if I could. Maybe when I win the lotto?
Awww, thanks JQ. We can just be ga-ga over dogs. How’s that? Much better than ‘crazy’. It’s a horrible feeling, though, wanting every single dog that I see!
Oh, my co-worker (nosy bitch) just asked me when I would ever switch to working days. I said, “I can’t, I have Cozmo and do not want to leave him home alone or in a cage all day.”
I work nights for my kids. They are still school aged. This way, I’m home all day (sleeping, but home) and so if they ever need me, I’ll be available. After doing this b.s. shift for 5 years now, I was actually contemplating on making the move to a day shift so I could be on a “normal” schedule like everyone else. However, since getting Cozmo, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go days.
This way, they go off to school, I arrive home (he is only caged for 20 minutes)- He and I hang all day long, they get home early afternoon and take over. He always sleeps with one of the twins. And, this just goes on and on. The longest he’s been in a cage is about 3 hours. Usually, it’s only an hour or so if I have to go shopping. Someone is almost always home so it is rare for him to even go in the cage. He HATES the cage and I hate it too. He really does think he’s human, and that’s ok- cuz I think he’s my 4th child 😉 Crazy? I don’t think so.
It’s amazing what we’ll do for our pups. I’ve been lucky and get to spend most of my days with the dogs. When they were pups I did have to crate them for several hours a day. But, they don’t mind being in their crates. It’s like their bedroom. Gus will even sleep in his crate when I’m home. But, now I get to schedule my days so I’m only gone for a few hours at a time and now I leave them uncrated with free access to the back yard (it’s completely fenced in). I think I’d hesitate to take a job where I’d be gone from them all day.