Finding the perfect dog is no easy thing

Date published: 2/26/2005

WHENEVER ONE of my mother's pets would die, she would vow never to get another.

"I don't ever want another one [dog, bird, fish]," she'd say. "It's just too hard when they die."

But mom was an animal person and, in time, she would always find something else needy to nurture.

It's been nearly five years since my last dog died, but I have a problem: I can't find the perfect dog.

A person who has had a lot of dogs has certain ideas of what they want. No more hyper dogs; no more dogs that hate riding in the car; no more dogs that would rather stay home and watch TV than hit the trail; down with dogs that bark too much.

I've been looking for that just-right pooch for a year now. I call it my Goldilocks dog: not too big, not too small, not too noisy but a good watchdog, playful but laid-back for when I'm reading, and so forth. Like Goldilocks, in the children's classic story, I'm looking for a dog that's just right.

I've had lots of close calls, lots of "almost- but-not-quite" dogs. For if there is one lesson I have taken to heart about canines, it is: You have a dog for a long time; it shares much of your life.

And like certain other relationships I could compare it with, my rule of thumb is: The one thing worse than no dog at all is living with the wrong dog.

Take care of them right, and most dogs of medium size will live 10 to 15 years. Daisy, a legendary German shepherd in our family that grew up with my two sons, made it to 15; Sonia, a Shepherd-coyote cross and smarter than many people I've known, was 14 when she died. I'd love to have twins of either. My last, ND, was a sweetheart and died at about age 8 of a brain tumor.

It's dismaying when I check the local shelters and find that many dogs are posted as "owner turn-in." I know there may be times when someone really has to get rid of a dog, but those times should be exceedingly rare--elderly folks going into nursing homes, that kind of thing. A dog is a member of the family. At least that's the way it is in this household. You don't take grandpa to the shelter because he's cranky!

So my search goes on. If you've looked for a dog lately, you probably spent quite a few hours Googling your way from shelter to shelter or from one private rescue group to another. Been there, done that. Been frustrated along the way, too, by some of their attitudes.

Date published: 2/26/2005