The Nest

Why on earth did you buy THAT dog?

Posted Wednesday, September 12, 2007 4:45 PM

So,my friend... single, female, lives alone, loves to travel, works long hours, and has a cat - decided she wanted a dog. She's been talking about it forever, but it always sounded like one of those things... you know, the kind of dream you talk about that isn't that far fetched, but is just off enough that it's not realistic, or perhaps the better word is... wise.

Anyway, she finally went to a dog rescue and picked a dog. She got the biggest dog she could find! I'm not kidding, this thing is huge. It's a great piranese (look it up they're ginormous). This thing is supposed to weigh up to about 125 pounds but it's currently under weight at 65 pounds. If it stands up on it's hind legs it's probably 6 feet tall. He's so sweet, very gentle, and well trained - but huge.

So my friend now has a giant dog, which will need to eat giant amounts of food ($$$$), then crap giant crap which she will have to clean up, need regular walking and grooming (it has long white hair - $$$$$), regular vet visits ($$$$$), and someone to watch it and the cat when she goes out of town.

Of course my friend already has a trip planned to Thailand this winter - FOR THREE WEEKS. Who in their right mind is going to want to house sit and have to take care of her giant dog and the cat?

And where is she going to drum up the extra money needed to take care of this animal when she's trying to make her mortgage payments on the home she owns all by herself?

I truly admire her for being such a loving person and for wanting to take an unloved dog in to her home and get him healthy but with her current lifestyle I'm not sure I'm totally behind this decision. It seems a little risky, a little expensive and a little prohibitive right now. Couldn't she have picked something a little smaller and easier to take care of... like a yorkshire terrier, or better yet a fish?