Small Strokes Big Oaks

You might recall a few weeks ago that we got a new dog. You might have also sensed that I was a bit uneasy about the dog becoming a part of our lives. He was very anxious, and made the dog we had before we got him – Penny – extremely anxious as well. He also growled and bared teeth at Tim more than once, and even snapped at him for no reason.

Unfortunately, after careful consideration and lots of tears, we decided we had to take him back to the shelter.

I know. It’s awful. You think you’re saving a dog and you have to turn around and send him back to a cold kennel in an underfunded shelter.

But I had to do what was best for my family. There were lots of things at play here. The growling and snapping at Tim pushed us over the edge, but that wasn’t the only thing going on. The dogs’ anxiety levels made it difficult for anyone to relax, especially me. It’s no secret that I’m a high-anxiety person, and having three high-anxiety living creatures in one house was just too much; it wasn’t healthy for anyone. On top of that, we wanted to be sure he would get along with the other dogs in the family, and it didn’t seem like he was doing too well at that, either. What made me extremely nervous was that Tim and I will probably have kids at some point down the line, and by the time we had toddlers, this dog would be really old and even more snappy, growly, and cranky than he was already.

It was just too much. It wasn’t healthy for anyone, the new dog included. We had to bring him back.

This was my first experience making a tough decision in the name of our family. It was heartbreaking and awful, and, honestly, if it were up to me, we would have kept the little guy, but we realized what had to be done for the best interests of everyone involved, and we did it. I don’t feel good about bringing him back, but I do feel good that Tim and I were able to come together and do what we had to.

The thing about it, though, is that, when it was good with the two dogs, it was really good. They played, ran around, and taught each other how to be better dogs and family members. They had company, and Penny was more than a little depressed when he was gone, even though he had only been with us for a week. If I am honest with myself, I was more than a little depressed when he was gone, too.

So, you guessed it. We went to another shelter this weekend with all of the things we had learned from this experience in mind and we fell in love with a wonderful 2-year-old beagle. We introduced Penny to him today, which went much better than the last time, and if all goes well with his neutering and heartworm test, we will be bringing him home on Tuesday. (If not, we’ll still be bringing him home, just at a later date.)

Beagles and terriers (Penny is a terrier, obviously.) get along really well together, apparently. Terriers are active and silly, while beagles are laid-back and good at taking hints. The other dog we had was a terrier, as well, and apparently putting two terriers together is a terrible idea because neither of them know when to stop pushing the other’s buttons. Today’s introduction went much better, and I’m confident that this new dog will be a better fit for our family.

So, without further ado, meet Bailey, the newest addition to the Samberts family!