So I know this girl. She loves dogs. She's been wanting to get a puppy for a really long time. I like to make the distinction that she wants a "puppy"... not a "dog". She told me last week that her mom finally agreed to let her have a puppy. So she spent all day doing personality tests to see which breed would match her and then she would MSN to ask what I thought about the breed. She only looked at cute puppy pictures but she wouldn't actually research what a breed was like when it grew up. I tried to point out the value of looking at pictures of a grown dog, because they only stay a "pup" for a year. That suggestion went unheard.
X says:
my ideal dog match is a parson russell
X says:
i took a test
X says:
My other matches are miniature schnauzer and a poodle
Natalie says:
I think Parson Russells are really high energy and they need a lot of exercise. What about the poodle?
X says:
ohh no... it says poodles need constant interaction
OY. Well, isn't that true of ANY dog?
Later that day, she discovered that there was a litter of Norwegian Elkhound pups for sale from the same breeder where I got Nori. She didn't say a word to me about it except that she contacted the breeder. The next day I got an email from the breeder saying that my friend picked up the last elkhound pup.
WHAT?!!!
This is about when I lost my temper for the first time in my life. I was in the groove of what R calls "being blindly self-righteous" or something like that. He looked at the situation as a positive thing. If she couldn't handle the puppy, then we could offer to take her in. I was too busy being in a self-righteous rage so it didn't really register at the time.
All I could think about was this impulse buy from a person who got rid of her cat because it peed in the house and she felt like she shouldn't have to constantly be cleaning up after her cat.
What the hell do you think you have to do with a puppy?!!
Once I calmed down (a bit), I realized that I was indignant because owning a beautiful dog like Nori makes me feel special. Not a lot of people have elkhounds because they've never heard of them, but once you're owned by one, you'll always want to be owned by one. My sister pointed out that I was acting as though nobody else could have one. I do understand that there are other dog owners who have Elkhounds and they take good care of them. I just don't believe that this person will give her new puppy the proper care and attention it deserves. As Jane also pointed out, the breed isn't an easy one for a first-time dog owner.
She posted a picture up of her new puppy. I scrutinized the picture like an overbearing mother-in-law and had to criticise it. I couldn't help myself. Her priorities were out of whack. She went out to buy it a pinkish red rhinestone collar but the pup was still eating out of tupperware containers in the picture. RHINESTONES. Are you kidding me? GO. BUY. A. PROPER. DOG. FOOD. BOWL.
The next day she MSN'd me again:
X says:
i got the puppy!
Natalie - says:
I know. The breeder emailed me.
X says:
oh nice
X says:
she's sooooo cute
Natalie - says:
yeah, they really are
X says:
but shes being such a good puppy!
Natalie - says:
honestly X, I'm a little worried.
X says:
why?
Natalie - says:
because you said you didn't want a dog that shed or needed a lot of exercise. And elkhounds shed really bad and they need a LOT of exercise
X says:
no no she's already gotten so much exercise she was so exhausted yesterday
X says:
plus we have a backyard
Natalie - says:
but a backyard isn't much exercise unless she gets walks
X says:
and she runs around all day and we have a park right behind our backyard
X says:
and my mom is home all day
Natalie - says:
okay, i'm just saying that they're not the easiest dog breed in terms of care and attention
X says:
im reallllly happy i got her, she's making me sooo happy
Natalie - says:
i'm glad, i know you'll enjoy having her
X says:
i went to walmart yestrday and i missed her
Natalie - says:
what did you name her?
X says:
i named her Lola
Natalie - says:
cute
X says:
why does she sleep so much?
X says:
did nori sleep a lot
Natalie - says:
yes, all puppies sleep a lot, they need their sleep
Natalie - says:
You should take a look at some of these links:
http://www.moosedog.net/nowown.html
X says:
ya i was gonna go buy a book too
X says:
she was getting so much attention yesterday!
X says:
omg we took her to hte beach and we had a crowd of ppl around us at all times, she was a little intimitaded
Natalie says:
PLEASE be careful where you take her. She's not fully vaccinated right now and she can pick up a lot of diseases from other dogs, the beach, the grass. Keep her away from areas where other dogs go to the bathroom.
X says:
It was mostly people she saw yesterday
X says:
oh i was going to ask you what kind of flea medicine did you get her when she was a puppy
Natalie - says:
revolution
X says:
what store do u usually go to
Natalie - says:
you get it at the vet, it'll run you around $100
X says:
how long does it last
Natalie - says:
You give it during flea season to prevent heartworm and fleas from June to November
X says:
im just about to register her online
X says:
source of microchip?
X says:
im pretty sure its the vet
Natalie - says:
i guess? They didn't ask that when I registered Nori.
X says:
it asks for species, and then breed
Natalie - says:
dog, norwegian elkhound
zOMG.... if you don't hear from me again, it's because the throbbing vein in my forehead has popped and reupholstered my computer with bloody goo.
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