MinPinMoments

Did you ever want something and get more than you hoped for?  Well, that is exactly what happened to me.  All I wanted was advice on dealing with mouthy puppies, but I got so much more.  In one short afternoon, my life went from trying to find a solution for a minor puppy issue to thinking that we may have to separate our litter.

What were we going to do? What was best for our puppies? After going back and forth, Bob and I still did not have answers to these questions.  It was kind of strange to think that we would even consider taking advice from people we have never even met.  But how could so many people be wrong?

Having had the litter for a couple of weeks now, the realities of life with three puppies was beginning to set in. “Your new puppy will sleep about eighteen hours a day”, stated one of the puppy training books I had recently read.  Well, the author of that book obviously had not based her information on a litter of Miniature Pinschers.  Sleep deprivation was yet another issue we were dealing with since the pups seemed to be awake more often than not.

Bob and I talked for hours on end and made a pro/con list in an attempt to reach a decision. The deck was clearly stacked against us if we based our decision on our pro/con list.  Basically, our “pros” for keeping the pups together included the fact that they were related to our first dog, Twinkie.  Also, we did not want to separate the litter. Our “cons” list was longer: three dogs are more expensive than two, traveling with multiple dogs is difficult,  taking care of three dogs during their geriatric stage could be challenging, and if the information we received was accurate, the puppies could grow up to be aggressive towards one another.  The problem with pro/con lists, in my opinion,  is that I am never able to weigh my decision according to quantity.  One “pro” alone can be far more significant than all of the “cons” together which makes the list useless.

After much discussion, Bob and I made the heartbreaking decision to rehome Malibu. Hoping that we could place her with a family we knew, we began making phone calls.  I  wrote a letter that would be posted at the school where I taught.  How perfect it would  be if a colleague adopted Malibu.  This would allow us to remain in Malibu’s life and always know how she is doing.  Bob also had a co-worker who was considering the possibility of taking Malibu and we were waiting to hear back from him.

Once we had made our “final” decision, Bob and I continued asking each other if we were making the right choice.  We did not seem to be 100% committed to the idea of giving away one of the  pups.  It was time for the puppies to visit their veterinarian again, so we figured that it was a perfect opportunity to get another opinion. In fact, Bob and I decided to let the vet make the decision for us.  We were too emotionally involved and needed the assistance of an impartial individual with experience in such matters.  Basically, we planned to ask the doctor if he believed that our puppies would grow up to become aggressive dogs with the potential to seriously injure or kill one another. His answer to this question would determine whether Malibu would be rehomed, or remain with Aspen and Quest.

Feeling hopeful on the drive to the vet’s office, but also prepared to do what was best for the puppies, Bob and I were anxious to hear the verdict. “Pure silliness”,  is what the vet said when we relayed the negative information we had received about raising litters together.  He discounted the theories regarding the likelihood of serious dog aggression and totally put our minds at ease. Bob and I felt like a weight had been lifted and were ecstatic to learn that our litter would remain together. Whatever the future held, we would deal with it together.