No, Harry No.

I almost got a dog tonight.

Almost.

Few months ago, my Bull Terrier passed away. I didn’t share this, because it had been in a very rough time for me. I had a very important job interview scheduled on the day that my brother decided to have The Deed done and… Yes. It had been a terrible time, accentuated by the fact that my dog was losing a year long battle with brain cancer. The weekend before he passed on he had had a series of massive and terrible seizures. He lost his dignity so to speak and that terrible weekend, as I watched him lying in his own mess, shaking, I realized that I can do him a favour that very few people have the privilege to have.

I can give him a dignified end.

So, The Deed was done and my old sausage dog was left alone on a very big yard. She had never been terribly worked up about my other dog, but – as time went by, I began to realize that she was really, very lonely. Now that I’ve started working, I can see the toll of what being an only dog is like. And, it’s not really fair towards her. So, I’ve been keeping an eye out for another dog, without really looking for one actively. My family knew that I was doing this, but decided not to comment. When the right animal came my way, I would take it. If it doesn’t, I will wait.

On Sunday, my mother came to me with a proposition or rather a story. People that she knew had acquired a schnauzer (at that time, I wasn’t sure whether it was a miniature, standard or giant) and was looking for a good home for it. They didn’t tell me whether it was male or female, but they did tell me that it was well trained. So, squaring my courage, I decided to go and have a look at the dog, thinking with a rush of excitement, that this might well be my next companion.

As it turned out, the venture was a complete bust. The dog, Harry, was male – and I actually want a female dog. He hyper, he bit (nibble really) people, he knocked little kids over and I could see him jumping on my old sausage dog and hurting her. He wasn’t trained to heal, he wasn’t trained to sit… He wasn’t really trained at all. Normally, I wouldn’t have minded taking a dog like this, because you can work with animals like this. But – I’m very busy at the moment, as it my brother who would become co-owner. And, we both have certain ideas of what we want in a dog and a schnauzer somehow never quite fit into the picture.

So it was with a touch of regret and relief (if the two can be felt together) that I said no to Harry. Repeatedly because he didn’t listen, but only once to his current owner.

He is not the dog for me.

Though I hope that he finds a good home.