Went to the humane society today; meant to look for a kitten. Looks like we may adopt a lab retriever cross (like this one at left, but this isn't him... same markings). Wow, he has some energy to burn...! I dunno, I'm torn between the "aw, he's so cute" and the "omg every thing I own is in peril from puppy teeth"... Seriously, I would have to puppy proof the whole house in like, a day to get ready for him. Let's do a pros and cons list and see if I can convince myself that adopting a puppy owns over adopting a kitten.... !!

PROS
It is summertime and a great time to have a puppy. We can take him for long, exhausting walks every day and play with him in the yard. He is (or will be) protection against theft and vandalism, and our tenants unfortunately just got hit a few nights ago with their car being torn apart in our driveway. (Don't get me started- no car alarm? No broken windows? No broken door lock? What ...??) They're loyal, responsive companions that are attentive to their masters. They're fun. They... they uh... Bah, that's about all I got for pros.

CONS
I love dogs, don't get me wrong. Love them. But this one is going to be a horse. It's not a small breed. And in the winter, what the hell ... I'm not going to be the one to let him outside to pee at minus eighty. And the barking, and the whining, and the ... the DOGness. The running through the house like a bull in a china shop. Chasing the cats. Chewing on anything remotely edible and other things that really aren't meant to be ingested. The dog hair, the dog breath, the... the kennel fees if we travel, not that we do. I dunno. Argh, when did this happen!?

I have apparently turned into a cat lover and a dog snob. I grew up with dogs (okay dashunds, which are half dogs.. Half sized anyways) I got cats in my adult life as pets and have since lived with only cats since my early 20s. Can I get past this though? I love love LOVE cats; they're wholly independant, stand offish, who cares what you do animals. I love that! Truth be told, I RELATE TO THAT! You can literally put a dish of food and water out, say see ya later and leave them for a weekend on their own. Cats can figure out that their food will still be there in a few hours and will remain there to consume tomorrow. They can live peaceably on their own without intervention for days. I even did 5 days once without any problem (okay someone checked in on them but they were fine) If you tried that with a dog it would eat all it's food in the first hour, puke, eat the puke, then eat your garbage and crap everywhere for the entire weekend. And then eat it's crap. And puke. And then eat it's puke. That's what dogs do. Dogs are dogs. Somebody help me see the merits of dogs again... !!! REMIND ME !!!

Aw, look at that puppy face...