clrturquoise *.*

I had trouble sleeping last night...mostly because I am more than a little excited about the prospect of *maybe* getting a new dog soon. Aside from the expected emptiness of missing Shadow, it's just been really odd not having a dog in the house. For a while I thought that maybe it was better to just get used to it this way; to take advantage of the opportunity of more free time, free cash, etc. But I think that it's had almost the opposite effect.

Yes, I am free to go straight from work to hang out with friends and that has been very nice. And it's not so much hassle to contemplate traveling when it doesn't involve kennels and accommodations. But on the other hand, I miss that companionship and the excuse to go for hikes and to parks and to make daytrips. I realize all of this can be done sans dog...but a dog along makes it more somehow.

Plus, to be honest, I miss the sense of security having a dog brings. Just a few minutes ago (around 10:30), a guy from TECO knocked on my door because of some power issue going on in the neighborhood. (This is the result of Verizon digging the block up for FIOS installation...leaving me with a bunch of dirt in my front yard & some sad little strips of sod that they put in.) I'm so used to having a dog barking or otherwise obviously in attendance that at first I didn't think much of it....but then freaked myself out a bit. It turned out to be completely fine...but made me realize again how much I miss a dog around!

So now I am seriously contemplating a German Shepherd rescue and weighing the pros [dogs tend to be a little older, housebroken and even trained] vs. the cons [they tend to come with some kind of baggage related to their previous lives or recent abandonment]. I've been see-sawing back & forth on this for the past few days, particularly now that there is a real possibility looming. (I'm planning to look at one on my way back from West Palm on Monday...but I can't think too much about it or then I *really* won't be sleeping tonight!)