I already feel sorry for Winry, if greyhounds truly are not fans of cold (obviously, neither am I). It would be easier to adopt her in a warmer month, when I could walk her effortlessly and whenever I wanted. But I've been looking forward to the end of December for over nine months now, so I refuse to let the weather stand in our way! Don't worry, Winry, I've been working on that sweater for you since May! (Pictures to come later).
My parents, however, may pose more of a threat than the weather though. I last went to visit them on Sunday, and at the mention of Winry they seemed to hesitate and I'm not sure why. They seem confident that I will be able to get her at some point, but for some reason, insinuated they wanted me to wait even longer (as if 9 months wasn't long enough?). I respect their wishes and the fact that it will be their house we'll be at for the first 5 months, but I still can't figure out the basis for their sudden hesitation exactly. When it comes to Winry, I have figured out just about every last little thing for her, including her annual finances, places we can live, how much money I will have to make, down to the last detail of her ear cleaner (has anyone had any luck with baby oil, btw?). When I asked my mom about it, she said she felt like Winry would hold me back somehow, with where I could live, is all that she mentioned. My dad said something in passing about not knowing whether he would have time to actually walk her at lunch time...which leaves me even more confused. In the past, I have raised and trained Labradors, and very rarely, if ever, asked my parents to do anything for any of those dogs. I have always taken 100% responsibility for the dogs I've cared for and worked with, and while they have offered at times to care for them, I am always reluctant to accept their help, as I understand they are completely under my charge and mine alone. Also, I was able to work and care for these Labradors in the past, which was no easy feat; however, the point is, I am attempting to choose the lowest maintenance breed of dog that will sleep for 15-20 hours a day which would obviously require little, if any attention from my parents, if I could manage on my own with the active high energy Labradors. The way I see it, adopting Winry in January (I've agreed to wait until after Christmas at their request) is the absolute best time for me to adopt a dog probably for years to come; I will be home for a solid month with no other commitments, other than to get her settled. At present, it is true that I don't have an actual job besides walking Carly and Shadow and doing occasional babysitting for my mom's co-worker. But, I will begin searching like crazy starting in January in hopes of moving out by May. I will have a B.A. degree in just 2 weeks, so I should, in theory, be able to find something over the 5 month period of living at home while I wait for my roommate to graduate. I know it sounds precarious to not have a "real" job at the time of adoption, but I have been saving up money for her all this time, and have about $2,000. Additionally, I will continue babysitting and plan to donate plasma (both of which bring in about 50$ per week), and will have no expenses on my behalf other than going out with friends for food and whatnot. So, in other words, while I wait/attempt to get a job, I will still be bringing in some form of money...I haven't even mentioned Eric's offer to pay for Winry's needs, since she will be half his dog.
My goodness, I typed an excessive amount of venting. I apologize to anyone who actually read all of that...and if you didn't, don't feel like you have to. Okay, well, summarize Winry in reference to my parents, I feel like they should not have to worry about her at all, as I am already very aware of her needs and have extensive experience to work off of, and I have never asked for or needed their help for my dogs in the past; they simply allow us to live at their house (which I do not take for granted).
Ah well, I guess we'll see what happens as they day comes closer. I was hoping to apply for adoption by December 20th. There will surely be a post on this date...you've been forewarned.
5 comments:
Greys don't handle heat well either. They can get heatstroke in 10 minutes, which can be fatal.
Greys, especially ex-racers aren't keen on being left alone, even though they do ten to sleep for most of the time.
Ex-racers in particular may not be house trained. My song took about 6 months to finally get it and eve now she has the odd accident.
Greys however are just the best dogs (ok I am biased:)). Once your dog has settled (and be careful you don't let it get too clingy whilst you are out of work, as it will be a wrench when you head off to work), you will have a soul mate.
Yes, I can imagine they wouldn't like the heat! I guess fall or spring would really be the most ideal time for adoption!
Yeah, but it's odd about my parents, because she WON'T be left alone for months until I get a job. Even then, I'm hoping to only work part time. As I might have said in other posts, there will probably always be another dog/person/cat around too, for the times I'm not. But we shall see :)
House training is no biggie and is something I'm ready to deal with. I think I've done it like a hundred times now with dogs of all ages and sizes! The kennel is one's best friend, I find. When you're not with the dog, it's in the kennel until you can trust it! Even for 5 minutes at a time.
Because of the above, I think I'll keep it from getting too dependent if she gets used to going in the kennel several times a day for various amounts of time (5 minutes here, 20 minutes there, etc) and understands that I always, always come back. Especially when stuffed Kongs are always at hand! Over the summer I had trouble with a Labrador who had separation anxiety with her other raisers, but she got over it in just a few weeks at my house, hopefully because of the frequent kennel practice! Let's cross our fingers that Winry will do the same...but luckily I'll have my parent's kennel-loving Westie at hand too, so for the first few days I might just put their kennels next to each other :).
I hope she is in fact my soul mate! I'm so excited to meet her :).
You are going to have a fab time and will rewarded ten fold. Can't wait to see which dog picks you:)
I think waiting for me to graduate is probably holding you back more than Winry-to-be would...
Sue: I hope so! Thanks for the suggestions/reminders!
Sarah: Ha ha, yeah, probably. Trying to coordinate between us is slightly difficult and relying on a lot of "ifs." If I get a job, if you go to school here or there or anywhere, if you can find a job, if we make enough money with those jobs....lol. Hopefully they all fix themselves though!
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