When my last dog died, I also thought I could do without another animal,
especially since I travel sometimes and have difficulties finding suitable
care.
Six months later I went to the rescue center and got another dog. Having
an animal around the house is just so rewarding, the inconvenience of
it does not outweigh the pleasure I get from having a dog.
Roberta, you could get a small dog, they don't walk far. Vet insurance is
also available and inexpensive with younger animals.
I'm not able to agree with the small dogs not needing much walking argument - but there are a number of breeds - large, medium, and small that have a limited interest in walking - and who don't get into trouble if they don't get enough walks.
These folks
http://www.strayfromtheheart.org/fosters/volunteer.php
are currently looking for fosters for dogs including these guys
http://www.strayfromtheheart.org/adoptions/adoptables/
(Sunny, Rosario and Ruben would be my first picks given the criteria I know about)
The particular organization you hook up with (if you decide to go that route) can look at your particular abilities and do a good match - maybe a dog recovering from surgery who really can't do a lot of walking - just needs a big pile of love and smooches and an occasional quick excursion outside.
Our dog doesn't walk all that much - he's a little lhaso mix.
Oh this one (from ehbeth's link) seems small, needing an adult home
and little poodles don't walk far.
http://www.strayfromtheheart.org/adoptions/adoptables/dog_page.cfm?identifier=215
He's a lovely little boy, isn't he.
One of my dogs is about as lively as a box turtle left to her own devices. The other one, oy, there's trouble if he doesn't get a serious amount of daily exercise and mental challenge. Both small, looking like twins, with totally different requirements.
A few friends have had Great Danes - big - hate exercise - think they're lap dogs.
There certainly seem to be a lot of interesting fostering options in New York - all the way to caring for dogs with temporary medical or housing needs to picking one up for an evening or weekend of walking and snuggling.
Yes, he's cute!
Just going to a shelter and snuggling the animals there would help
tremendously too. They're fed and walked but hardly receive special
attention and snuggling.
Different shelters have different rules on that. It's something I've done a lot to spend time with animals, but some places have a "no touching unless you're planning to adopt the animal" rule. I think it's incredibly stupid. I forget the complete reasoning, but it was something about "not getting the animals' hopes up." Dumb. There was something less dumb but still suspect about diseases, too. (How about washing hands...?)
maybe you could volunteer at a shelter
have a million pets without the fuss
I volunteered at a shelter while in college.
Once.
The first day I got there, someone had left a dog in the "After hours pen"; not uncommon for those not wanting to be known but still wanting to do the decent thing and not just let the animal go. Anyway, the dog in there had been chained up so long, it's chain had grown into his neck and instead of bringing the chain and the dog, the owner simply ripped the chain from the neck and left a flap of skin hanging off the dogs throat. I don't know what happened, but from what I understood, the dog was to be put down.
On top of that, seeing the other dogs being so happy to have me just play with them for 5 minutes while the ones I was not able to play with cried and look at me with those sad eyes from behind their cages....I just couldn't take it. I left in tears and couldn't make myself go back.
Anyone who volunteers at a shelter is a special kind of person. It is exteremly difficult work.
That's an important point, you're right. When I was doing it regularly I cried a lot. Wanted to adopt them all, and it was always so emotional when I noticed a favorite was gone -- wanted to ask because maybe it was good news (adopted) but always worried it was bad news (euthanized).
From what Roberta's said, maybe not the best idea for her.
George, A tapeworm, I'm sure, has its pluses. But if I wanted to give it a hug, I'd have to turn myself inside out.
Gus, Sorry to disappoint you re petless, not potless.
I feel very strongly that all dogs, even small ones, need to be walked. Fostering is out. I could never let go. Fact is, Beth, I'm afraid to open your links. Don't want to break my heart. And I could never work at a shelter.
You're all very kind to jump in and come up with suggestions. But I can see that unless my financial circumstances change, it's not likely I'll ever have another pet. I need to find a way to live with that.
Roberta--
Do you live in the sort of building where you could borrow-a-dog? I've never known a dog who felt s/he was being overwalked.
I'm sitting here trying to come up with something. There has to be some way to be around animals, not be heartbroken, not pay for vet bills....
This is so sad....
Noddy, Sure I could probably ask a neighbor if I could walk the dog. But I can't walk much at all. That's one of the reasons why I didn't have a dog. Now if I could borrow a dog to play with, that might work. I have a neighbor down the hall who might let me do this. I'll ask. Thanks.
caribou, Not the worst thing in the world. Just a hard adjustment for me. Thanks for being sympathetic.
Like I said earlier, this thread is more a whiney, kvetchy kinda thing than a solution to the problem kinda thing. Some problems just don't have solutions. Especially when you're dealing with a pain in the ass like me.
Roberta--
Kvetch away. At least your husband isn't a porn addict and you know what you'd get a hypothetical lover for Valentine's day.
Some problems can be solved.
How do you feel about bonding-through-grooming? Would this stir up your allergies? You could ask your neighbor for pet hair and offer to remove it yourself, one indulgent stroke at a time.
here's your solution
all you need is a Nintendo DS and
this
Noddy, I don't know if my allergies would react to dog hair. I'll talk to my neighbor.
dj, The damned site wouldn't open for me. But I got the idea. A virtual dog. Is that one step up or one step down from an imaginary dog?
Roberta, my precious, I know one of your great critter loves is birds. Are you certain, absolutely certain, that one teensy-weensy little boid is not possible? A really, really tiny one?
G'day Roberta
I always feel that a house without a cat is sad. But then, amazingly, there are some people whodon't like cats at all. Unfathomable!
When my last cat died, I was determined not to get another cat. I was travelling a bit for work, and, like you, struggling to pay vet bills for the critter I had.
The day after he died, my aunt and went out and bought a concrete lion, in the same pose as the ones sitting outside my grandmother's house many years ago (the house is still there - I went and checked!). He was ideal, sat quietly in th garden outside my front door; gave the neighbours something to include in their conducted tour of the area; scared away burglars, etc. But - he didn't watch television, talk to me in the mornings, block my way to the bathroom at night, etc. I lasted 3 months before I needed some additional structure in my life - so acquired His Possumcat-ship!
Now I know I'm alive (and I'f I'm not obedient, bleeding!).
I understand your angst.
