My wife and I decided the other night it was time for us to get a pet. That was the easy part of the decision. The hard part is deciding on what kind of pet that we are going to get. I’m a cat person and she’s a dog person so one of us was going to be unhappy. As it came to be that person of course was me as she won out in the end like she usually does in these situations. My big arguing point was that right now is not the right time for a canine companion. We live on the second floor in an apartment complex which means the dog will never see the outside unless we physically take him or her outside. We also both work the same hours (8-5) so he or she would have to be crated during the day while we are at work. A cat on the other hand would be perfectly fine home alone for days as long as it had enough food and water.  She countered that plenty of her friends and coworkers have dogs that are crated during the day and that she will take it for a long walk when she gets home. I pretty much know how that is going to probably go but I said ok. I’m sure a month from now I will be the one taking the dog for a walk after work at least every other day. I’ll be fine with that when it is warm out but when in the middle of winter when the wind chill is in the single digits she will be the one going out not me.

We went yesterday to the local pet store and stocked up on everything we are going to need. The crate was by far the most expensive item we bought but it is a nice one and I think I’d even feel comfortable sleeping in there. We got a nice fluffy bed to put inside it. The only thing we haven’t bought yet is food because we aren’t sure on what breed and the age of the dog that we are going to get. She wants a smaller dog like a Pomeranian but I told her I’d like a larger breed. Those smaller dogs are too yappy for me.  I remember when I was a kid my backdoor neighbor had a little dog. I am pretty sure it barked more than it didn’t when it was outside and it was outside a lot. My Dad actually went over and talked to the owner a few times about it but it never helped. We eventually ended up moving and I’m sure that the people that moved in had to deal with it too.

We are going this weekend to the local shelter to see what they have. Going to a shelter is something we both agreed on. There are plenty of pet stores in the area but who knows where those dogs come from. There are a few shelters in the area so I’m sure we’ll be ok. I really hope we see a cute little kitten there too and I can persuade my wife to change her mind. Maybe we will end up getting both as I would be ok with that. We’d just have to make sure the dog is cat friendly. I’m not sure how we’d do that though without bringing both of them home first. I guess it really depends on the dog’s background. If they came from a home with cats then it should be fine. I’m sure the employees or volunteers at the shelter will be able to help with that.