I should preface this by saying that my husband, Ken, will hate this question, and my son, Freddy, will love it.
For most of my adult life, I have not considered myself a pet person. I had a cat for a few years in my early 20s, but he eventually went to live with my brother because I was too allergic. Growing up, we had a beautiful black lab, and I’ve always maintained that he was the best dog and also a total pain in the butt. As a puppy he ate everything including (in no particular order): a pair of rented ski boots, my homework, a hammock, every single bath mat we owned, and my MC Hammer cassette tape.
But recently, I’ve been thinking I want to get a dog. More specifically, a little dog, small enough that I could bring her to work with me or tuck her beneath the seat ahead of me on an airplane. A portable dog who is already potty trained (so not a puppy) and isn’t very yippy.
During the busiest days of studying for the CFP exam, I started following a bunch of dog foster accounts on Instagram. At first, I thought maybe this was a flight of fancy—something that was simply a good distraction during a stressful time. But now that I’m on the other side, my desire to adopt a dog hasn’t gone away. If anything, I feel more serious.
Ken isn’t so keen on getting a dog. I’ve been trying to warm him to the idea. But last week, we hung out with some old friends who told us an absolute horror story of their struggle with a new puppy that’s gone terribly wrong. “Fuck,” I thought, as I sat their listening to their travails. “This isn’t helping my cause!”
My other hang up is that I really have no idea what’s involved with being a dog owner. When I think about it too much, I get nervous. It will be expensive! There will be vet bills! Dogs are messy and sometimes smelly! I’ll have to pick up dog poop! My kid is finally getting to the age where he’s pretty independent—is it crazy to add a dependent dog to the mix right now?
I’m thinking we’ll start by fostering a dog to see how it goes. But, dear Purse readers, I’d love your advice. Is this a terrible idea?
