It’s been very strange not having canine company around and I miss the dogs every single day. (I have a lump in my throat just writing about how each dog died.)
Of course (because I like lists) I keep this mental list, pros to not having a dog:
- No expensive vet bills. As they aged, both dogs developed different ailments with various accompanying medications. I can tell you where Perth’s veterinary cardiologists and oncologists and emergency services are. Can also discuss the use of human grade medications for certain dog complaints.
- No dog hair everywhere – the house is so much cleaner!
- You can go anywhere without feeling guilty for leaving them at home.
The downsides of not having a dog, though:
- Dogs ground you, they’re so in the moment and find such joy in simple things
- Dogs are fun and such characters
- The house seems very empty without a dog
- You seem like a weirdo in the park when you fawn over other people’s dogs. If you have a dog too you are obviously a member of the Dog People Club and stopping to chat and admire each other’s dogs is permissible, even expected
- I do wonder if my mental health might be better this year if I had the chihuahuas around for company
Until recently the idea of getting another dog was just wrong as we were still missing and grieving Peppi immensely. We’ve started idly talking about adopting another dog, however we are probably going to do a little bit of careful travel to the Eastern States* in the coming weeks/months and for the time being it will be good to not have to worry about finding a dogsitter. (I keep trying to tell myself this.)
*For my non-Australian readers, Western Australians have a tendency to refer to the rest of Australia as “the Eastern States” – in practice we’re mostly talking about New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and sometimes South Australia. (Sorry, ACT, Northern Territory and Tasmania!)