Rocks in my head?!?

[crazyforgoofy]

Isabella has been with us for nearly 16 months. Time has really flown. She's 5 1/2 and is doing well. She still has nightmares and has a lot of worries a little girl should never have to think about. She continues in therapy. The attachment issues she had are fading, she's loving and much more empathetic than she was.

Ok, so here's the issue. She really wants and "needs" a dog. Our old spaniel died last fall and she took it quite hard even though he wasn't able to play with her as she would have liked. Since then she's never stopped saying how much she needs a dog. We found a lovely stray lab with ice blue eyes who she fell in love with but found his owners within a couple of days. They live nearby and she visits him and is almost in tears when she has to leave him. Who can stand up against that? I agreed we'd get a dog - an almost grown or fully grown lab or golden retriever - but NOT A PUPPY. I have enough to manage - a disabled husband and a busy little girl. But we found two 5 month old lab/malinois mix pups - Isabella, of course, fell for them and would like to have both dogs! Now wait a minute! I said no puppy and now I'm being pressed to get two?!?!?!?

I'd like your opinion. Do I hold out for the adult or nearly grown dog or let her have ONE puppy?

Help! I need advice!

Mary Alice

 

[KathyTX]

How much energy do you have? And how close to housebroken are the pups?

A Lab will be a serious chewer for awhile... mine seemed to get better at about 1.5 years. And they have ENERGY!!! But they are the most loving and adorable puppies.

Labs seem to bond very easily to their humans, so she'd likely fall just as easily for an adult Lab (or mix) as she has for the puppies.

My personal vote would be for a young adult, one that's already past the housebreaking, chewing, manic puppy stages. But if you've already fallen for these puppies, it may be too late for logic to prevail!

Either way, I know you'll all enjoy adding a furry bundle of love and energy to your home.

(But don't take my advice- I'm the crazy one who adopted two 6 week old Lab puppies on the spur of the moment 13 years ago. It was love at first sight. I was completely unprepared for the chaos that my home would soon become! But I can't imagine not having lived with these sweet girls for all these years...)

 

[phillybeth]

IMO, go for the older dog. Puppies take a lot of time, and with a husband and daughter that's what it seems like you don't have. Pups are much like toddlers, into everything if you take your eyes of them for even a second. Crate-training is good but you can't leave a pup in a crate 24/7, it's not fair.
Most rescue groups ensure that the dogs they place are housebroken and have basic obdience training. A nice 3-4 YO lab or golden is well past the puppy stage but young enough to play and to give you a lifetime of fun and affection.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Puppies are a LOT of WORK! I got a 12 week old lab/boxer last year. He's now officially a year old...still trying to become the alpha male of the house still having accidents in the house. I also have a VERY LOVABLE flat-coated retriever that I got at the pound as an adult. He is sooooooooooooooo sweet, puts up with the puppy...poor thing. I'd definitely go with an older dog!!!

 

[crazyforgoofy]

Two votes for a grown up dog, one for both puppies! Thanks for your time to answer and your thoughts. My head tells me one thing and my heart another.............