Cats and Dogs

After weeks of talks in the household about getting a puppy, the long nights debating the pros and cons of being a two dog family, hours of research about the best breeds to look at, when there is a wee one involved, days looking around the country for a reputable breeder, with dogs at the right price and the right distance away for travel arrangements to run smoothly, the hours looking at comparison sites for the right pet insurance, you know what I mean one that actually pays out if there is a problem, no excuses, no small print, okay no small print is too much to ask, but surely one of the leading insurers offers an honest policy!

Then you have to consider family days out, aye that means making sure the car is suitable, meaning it will transport not only the good people of the house, but two dogs at different stages in their doggy lives, one an elder statesman and the other the young pretender.

That takes you nicely on to having to make a number of allowances, and taking a wee bit more time in all the planning to take into account the old boys needs and how he will feel when the young pretender is in full puppy flow!
So a lot to be considered and actioned, however the one thing I bring from my working life, into my role as a stay at home granddad is my ability to organise and complete a job once started in a decent time frame.

So homework done and time to do a quick check list, the right breed found, the reputable breeder found and not too far away, reasonable price asked for puppies, plan in place for the old boy to ensure peace and quiet when wanted, insurance company and policy found and small print checked, car checked and suitable in the short term....well we were going to replace the car sooner or later anyway, aye that's what I told myself and anyone else willing to listen!
Check list complete all that was left to do was make the purchase, the easy bit!
The wee one had been involved in all of this and had spent many a wee hour looking at photos of dogs and explaining that was definitely the one for her.
The law enforcer aka the wife was the last of the household to be convinced that a second dog was a good idea, however once on board her enthusiasm was matched only by the wee one as they trawled through countless pictures and watched every telly programme that had anything at all to do with dogs!

However I decided to hold off just to make sure the moment would last, after all a dog is for life, a motto that I equally apply to any pet that you take into your family home.
As you can see I am not taking this lightly as all pets require care, love and time, as well as a budget, because there is nothing cheap in this day and age!

So after a suitable period of calm and reflection, a period to allow straight heads and not hearts to make the decision we made our move. The whole family united from the wee one to the ASBO gardener aka papa, all agreed all of one mind.

So today I made the phone call to the reputable breeder, paid our deposit, and we will pick up our new pet in six weeks time, a date the wee one is already marking down to, on the calendar in our kitchen.
As I said you have to be ready for a new pet, so I will spend this weekend buying a new bowl and getting the insurance policy paperwork filled out........oh aye and the cat flap fitted to the back door to allow our new kitten instant access to the garden!!!