So some of you may not be aware of this but I use to be Gymnastics Dad (without the super cool blog), my oldest daughter Jessica was a competitive gymnast for about 10 years, or pretty much all of her young life. I thought she would be in gymnastics till she finished high school and due to the time demands associated this gymnastics I never really considered getting her a dog seriously. There were certainly other considerations there as well...lack of patience and empathy being 2 major ones. Don't get me wrong....she is a good girl, but like all of us she has her weaknesses.
Her world, and mine, abruptly changed in Nov 2010 when she came out of gym and told me that was her last practice that she had quit. There were a lot of factors there developing hip problems being one of them, but certainly not the only one. She told me she wanted a dog at that time and I told her no we are a 2 dog family, our space works fairly well with 2 dogs and I didn't (and still don't) see how we could make our lives function anywhere near normal with another dog in the house. Storm was just over a year old and a big handful and I certainly wasn't ready to add to that chaos.
So the topic has come up over and over as I have tried to help her find ways to burn the time and energy that was previously used up at gymnastics; and time and time again I held steadfast that there is no way we can get another dog. As disappointed as she was I think she understood.
Let's fast forward to about July when my friend Andre (see his blog here http://ace-borderlinecrazy.blogspot.com/ ) tell me they are expecting a litter of border collie pups around September. "That's nice" I said "I am sure they will be cute...good luck placing them all I won't be taking one." not sure those were my exact words but you get the point. Also told my kids the same thing. Fast forward again to September and the puppies are born....the girls want to go see them We are there on their second day alive and my girls are in love "Don't get attached" I say "we can't get one", but we return to visit a couple of times per week to see the puppies grow. As we get into late October at the CAANS agility trial five of the seven puppies have found their forever homes and there are 2 left. Jessica spends her weekend at the trial with the blue merle male that has yet to be placed. Saturday at the end of the day Andre tells me that he has a potential buyer for the blue merle male coming to see him on Monday, it is not an agility home or a local home and we won't likely see the dog again (all the others have gone to local agility homes and we will get to see them all on a regular basis) Jessica is devastated....how much I am unsure until Sun morning when I see her with a red splotchy face and swollen eyes...now I am really in a pickle.
I am faced with making a very difficult decision very quickly, I talk to my wife, she wants the dog...the fool...how did I let them get this attached....I said there was no way we are getting this dog...now I am actually considering this an actual possibility....pro's and con's....con's...so easy....$$$, space, time, as well as a long list of others...pro's...I'm struggling here...this is good...hmmm Jessica's extra time could be filled with this new addition, and she would be with Tamara and I so I don't have to trade off times for 2 different activities, child stops crying....Needless to say Blurr is the blue merle male mentioned above, and he is now a part of our family.
So far training is going well and Jessica has been very responsible. We are certainly focusing a little differently than we did with Storm at this age and hoping to not repeat the same mistakes; I'm sure we can find a new batch to make. Storm isn't too sure about this new addition but I am sure with time he too will accept and forgive my weakness to give my child the happiness of her very own puppy.
Stay tuned for my next blog...who knows what it will be.
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