Well, as I let everyone know a little less than a month ago, my dear dog Torrie passed away at the age of 16 after leading a very good life that was full of love and play. I honestly thought I would need to wait a few months before I was ready to welcome a new furball into my life, but within a week of Torrie's passing, I knew that there was NO way I could wait that long and that I would need to find a new dog right away. I live alone since my divorce a few years ago, and I quickly discovered that I did not at all enjoy having the house to myself!

Not only did I miss the energy of having a dog in the house, and, of course, the companionship, I also discovered right away that having Torrie had helped me with my AS in at least a couple very important ways. Most directly, owning a dog meant getting my butt up and out of my chair several times a day just to deal with the dog's needs. This included trips outside for potty breaks, getting up to provide food and/or water, spending time playing with the dog, and all the other miscellaneous up-and-down moments that are required when you're responsible for the well-being of another living creature.

In just that first week, I discovered that unless I was forced to get out of my recliner, I was not very good about getting up and moving around. Instead of getting up at least once an hour, I soon found myself sitting on my butt for hours at a time, long enough that once I did have to get up to do something, I was usually in much rougher shape than I was before Torrie died--all my major joints would ache much more than in my more mobile days, and while things would feel better after walking for just 5 minutes or so, the end result was still a stronger, deeper ache than I was used to experiencing. In fact, when I didn't get up and move around as much as I did when I had a dog. I'd have to say that my pain levels were almost bad enough to say I was in a full-fledged, albeit mild, flare.

Needless to say, that first week was a real eye-opener. I knew that sitting around as much as I was had to end immediately, and I did force myself to start getting up every hour or so. Still, even though I was being proactive, there's no doubt I was still cheating and at least once a day would skip one or two scheduled walking breaks and remain horizontal. Sometimes this was because I was snoozing (more on that in a second), sometimes it was simply because that laziness gene was winning again. After another week, I knew that I had to do even more than I had started doing, and I knew what I needed--I needed a new dog.

I was a bit surprised how easily I came to that decision. Yes, it was in part driven by my health needs and my desire to bring a pet back into my life in order to give that life more of a purpose (or rather, more of a purpose that required mobility on my part!), but I also realized that, quite simply, I was lonely without a dog or cat in my life. A quick bit of math made me realize that I had not lived without an animal companion at my side for more than 25 years, and the fact of the matter was, I didn't care for it AT ALL. I realized that I would not somehow be sullying Torrie's memory by getting a new dog so quickly; in the simplest language possible, Torrie occupies the most special part of my heart and she always will. No matter how many pets I have during the rest of my life, none will ever be more special to me than Torrie was and is. Once I realized that, I knew there was no emotional reason to wait any longer to get a new dog; no, for both physical and emotional reasons, I knew that there was no reason to wait any longer, especially knowing that it could take me several months to find just the right dog for me. (I could go on and list some additional reasons why pet ownership is so good for sick or handicapped people--they trigger the release of endorphins, have been shown to help lower blood pressure, etc., etc., but everyone here who is interested in already knows those reasons, so I won't bother rambling on about them. My main purpose in writing this was to talk about the more personal reasons I had in deciding to get a new dog so quickly.)

I began my search on petfinder.com (for anyone considering getting a dog or cat, I can't stress it enough that Petfinder is the place to go--literally thousands of rescue and adoption organizations use Petfinder to list their available animals) just about a week and a half ago, and, miraculously, I almost immediately found the perfect candidate, a beagle/Brittany spaniel mix who was about a year old. I filled out the adoption application, went through the group's strict vetting procedure (they called all of my references and did a home visit to be sure my house was right for the dog), and, as of yesterday, learned I will be the proud companion to that incredibly cute little puppy dog! I will definitely post some pictures of my own once I pick her up next Monday (she graduates from her training program on Friday--her rescue organization actually utilizes one of those well-publicize "prisoners and pups" training programs, which I think is terrific). In the meantime, for those who would like to see her, here is her Petfinder page:

Marsal's Petfinder page

If you watch the video, which is just a couple minutes long, you'll get to see her being trained by one of the prisoners. It seems she is one smart little cookie!

Needless to say, I am completely smitten with her already. I can't wait for Monday to get here, even though it's going to require me to be up and on the road by 8 a.m., an unheard of hour for my insomniac rear end! lol New pictures will follow.

Brad

Hi Brad,

I can hardly wait until Monday for you ! I have a cat and he thinks he is a dog. He does tricks for treats etc. I took a peek at your dog, he is beautiful . He will be so good for you . I would be lost without my Rudy. He sleeps with me every night.


Hugs,

Janet

Congrats Brad,

Wish you many years of laughs and smiles with newly adopted dog.

Do you have a name picked out for her yet?

Take care,

Tim

Brad, she is gorgeous and what a nice mix: Beagle x Brittany. She looks to be a real merry wee lass: will be such fun and what good basic training she has and what a nice 'focus & attention'. Well done at the rescue place, terrif programme. Can't wait for you to have her - that wee animal is blown home to have a home with you -

Go well -

Molly C (France)

so very excited for you!

when our first parrot spunky died, we had a lot of the same emotions you describe. thought it would be a long time before getting another bird. but started visiting bird stores soon after. then wanted to take them all home. held off the urge and agreed on an african grey, mookie. like you, i've had pets for so long, can't imagine living without at least one. even a bird makes one feel less lonely when alone. so glad you have a new companion. and i do think its like people in our lives, there is always room for more, and it certainly doesn't make the others less special.

This is great! Thrilled for you & good to read a Brad-size post again. Let us know when she's home.

She is beautiful. I am sure she will add so much joy to your life.

There's two names for you Brad, Joy (from Donna) and my own, Merry... Though, they do say never to rename an animal... Though Merry Marshall sounds nay bad, Merry for short! (or MM!!)

Not long to wait now - so exciting.

Brad, Marsal is just so sweet looking. My god, what a pretty face!

I missed hearing about Torrie and am very sorry to hear it. Deciding to put down our dog two years ago was so very difficult, but in the end, we're the thinking reasoning beings in our pups' lives and so, we have a pact to make these decisions for them so they don't have to suffer. Doesn't make it easier in the moment, and it doesn't mean our hearts don't break. We got our new pup a couple of weeks later and she has been such a blessing. Her joy in life, her spirit, her gentle, loving, serene and mischevious nature have lifted us out of the mire more times than I can say.

I'm glad you are getting this pup, because she will lift you up, get you moving and keep you moved in more ways than you can imagine.

Love,

The puppy sounds lovely Brad i hope you have lots of fun with her.
Having the animals really does help makin you get up and down to see
to their needs, my animals help me with my AS although i'm left exhausted
I have 7 chickens, 3 rabbits, a cat and just got a kitten also my 5year old son
to care for.
Have many hours of happiness with ur new friend.