Praying for a Dog

The girls and I are desperate for a dog.  I have always had a pet.  My entire life--41 years--I always had a dog or a cat or some pet in my house, to snuggle with and love and care for.  When Jason and I got married, we adopted our Sydney Bean from the animal shelter and when we bought our first house, we got her a brother, Oliver Bellows.  Since our girls were born Sydney and Oliver were part of their lives.  They have always had  a dog to cuddle and love and talk about how cute and funny they are; a dog to dress up and take pictures of and make videos of and spoil; a dog to show responsibility for and to walk and groom.

We brought our little Ollie on vacation with us last year.  He had a ball.

Allergies

When Ollie died last summer, we took a few months and then we tried getting a puppy and I was allergic.  A second puppy had the same outcome--or possibly I was just so nervous that I would be allergic that I imagined the symptoms.  Either way, I went for allergy testing and the allergist said that I have a mild allergy to dogs (a severe allergy to cats) and that I could have a dog, just don't let it lick my face because the allergen would be too close to my sinuses and cause a reaction.  Allie also has allergies.  Her allergies are actually worse than mine.  But, we have both met dogs that we did not react to...and we both lived with dogs for years with no reaction, so we can just not wrap our heads around not having a dog.

Our church friend and groomer recommended a homeopath who has had success with special oils and things made from dog allergens and deposited in drops under the tongue several times a day.  It's the same principle as allergy shots where a small amount of the allergen is introduced into the body so that the body can get used to it and not recognize it as harmful.  It makes sense to me.  Our church friend/ groomer knows of people firsthand who have overcome pet allergies this way, so we felt it was worth a try.

We loved cuddling with Oliver.

Travel

Jason adored Oliver and loves dogs and having a dog, but he is not quite sure right now if getting a dog is a good idea.  Jason likes the idea that we can "get up and go" at any moment.  We can decide at the last minute to go away for the weekend.  We have plans this summer for a weekend away and a week away and are hoping to do some camping.  We would have to arrange for someone to take care of a dog if we had one.  We have plans for a vacation in the fall and again, we would have to arrange pet care.  I completely understand this, but we are talking 3 weeks out of 52.  And the girls and I would gladly give up 2 of those 3 weeks of vacations, we are perfectly content right at home and if it means not getting a dog or not traveling, we will pick getting the dog and not traveling any day.  A dog will be here 365 days a year to love and cuddle, a trip costs a bundle and is over in days.

Plus, since I have been telling friends about Jason's reservation, many friends have volunteered to watch our dog.  Some of the young people I work with live in our neighborhood, are very responsible and I would trust them to pet and house sit.

Allie keeps saying that there is "Never a good time" to do anything.  You can always find a reason not to do something.  We are going to the lake this summer, we are going on vacation, we have so much going on over the holidays, we are going camping this spring, summer is around the corner and we are going to the lake this summer....

We were so upset to be allergic to these little handfuls.

So, if I can ask you to pray.  Pray that my husband comes around.  Pray that we find a dog that we are not allergic to.  Pray that we find a healthy dog that is a good fit for our family.