I bet you have a right old riot at times between them, Lol. I don't
mean it in the violent description, rather in the pack of scamps
scheme of events....

I have often thought & considered thier request for a dog, but my only
experience with them was a daschund that my parents had when we lived
in Africa, & as you say, she was never my dog really, because my
parents cared for her. I loved her, but after having her, I got bitten
quite badly once when I was around 9 years old.

I was running away from 3 Alsatians that caught up with me & took a
nasty chunk out of the back of my thigh, whilst the others mauled my
arm & torso. I hadent done anything wrong, other than to pass thier
house... & I felt fearful for no explicable reason, so I started
running home. This seemed to be the Que for the dogs to follow me and
hunt me down about 5 houses down......

There was no one around to help, but I screamed all the same &
eventually some one's gardener heard me & came to my rescue with a
rather large stick that was enough to convince them to leave me
alone!! It took 60 stitches in my leg, another 40 in my arm,68 in my
wrist & a final 36 in in my torso to mend the damage they made, then
further plastic surgery to hide the marks that they left....

I have never really felt able to trust any dog since then. I wouldn't
say that I am scared of them, but I would say that I don't trust them
entirely, & certainly not around my children....

You could say that this one isolated incident shouldn't cloud my
judgment. However, I don't want to convey my fear to my children,
because I do realise that what happened to me was a pack instinctual
thing- I am certain that they sensed my fear...? I don't want them to
feel the same way that I do towards dogs. I have never told them about
this incident for this very reason.

I would love to talk to you some other time about dogs in general, if
you wouldn't mind of course? you seem fairly knowledgeable about dogs
in general. I think it would be a very good idea to sit down & work
out exactly what we are all looking for with regard to a breed, or
even a mongrel....It isn't important that it is a pure breed really at
all....( there are so many @ our local shelter, & they all need homes.
They charge around £70 all spayed & inocculated , so that is very good
value I think, in an exchange for a companion for life, don't you?
($150)
(we call them Heinz 57's, lol...A little bit of everything!!)

Once we have, I will let you know roughly what we are looking for &
perhaps you wouldn't mind pointing us in the right direction,
regarding what the mix of the breed is & whether or not it might be,
or not be, the right dog for us?

I**Refuse** to allow that one instant to stop my kids enjoying what
should be a normal experience for them. I take on board what you say
regarding the fact that either Paul or I will be the main carer for
the dog too!! Is it true what they say about a dog requires one master
only? The other thing that needs to be thought of is the fact that our
elder kids will be leaving home in the next 3 or so years, which
leaves Tilly(11yesterday), & Jack(13) here to care for that dog. I
guess what they are looking for in the dog is important too? There is
always the possibility that when they leave home, they might want to
take the dog with them? I guess that shouldn't need addressing just
yet LOL;o)

Thanks for sharing that Info Lis. It has opened a gateway that I
refused to look at before now, for fear alone. I was too frightened to
consider the thought @ all!!!

S;o)
PS:You can tell Aquavit & Retsina that I think they are STUNNING....

yes thats just like jasper who developed a tumour in his bladder and
had to be put to sleep in the end. If i had kept him alive longer than
I did (andi kept him alive for 2 weeks too long in my view now in
hindsight) it woudl have been very selfish of me, he was miserable and
in pain and only an owner who has known the cat in life and knows what
that cat is normally like and it's real personality before the illness
can see the change. Anyone who says you were selfish to put him to
sleep obviusly has not had to deal with a very sick animal who is not
going to get better and is in real pain and just wants to be allowed
to die.

jasper's tumour was far too big by the time they found it and to
remove it they would probably have had to take out his bladder too, so
that together with the fact that he was very old anyway and might not
have survived an operation, made the decision for us; let him live
until it becomes too much for him then bring him in when his quality
of life has deteriorated too far. I cherished those last few months
with him and he got treats and prawns and cuddles every single day, he
had the best chair in the house without question so even visitors sat
onthe floor at times. inthe last few weeks he was not the same cat and
there was no option and I think that anyone who has been inthe same
place as I was then would realise that letting him go was actually
doing him a favour, NOT a selfish act because i couldn't be bothered
to look after him. believe me if there was any cure at all for his
tumour, whatever the price i would have gone for it but there was
nothing anyone coudl do except help him on his way and stop his pain.

sometimes I wish it would be possible to do that for humans in pain
with terminal illness, it is selfish to keep them alive.

my only regret is that I didn't let him go earlier, maybe a week
earlier than I did, i was probably in denial of the fact that there
really was no hope. I hope i have the strength to let jessie go before
she suffers and not be selfish and try to hang on to her longer than
is really fair. I would only be keeping her alive for my sake anyway,
not hers, and that would be selfish.

bookie