Dog for a Day

So it's been about six weeks since my emotional roller coaster of pet ownership that I think I can now tell about the bichon puppy I got and returned in one weekend. I'll just give the high lites.

I love my family's dog, a bichon named Annie, but city life just doesn't suit her so she lives at my parents in Roswell. Since living on my own I have wanted a dog so bad. I love cats but I just wouldn't know what to do with one having never owned one before (plus some of my fam is allergic). I've been waiting to be fully settled in Atlanta and financially secure before getting a dog, and so decided now seemed to be as good a time as any. So began my Internet scouring of rescue and breeder sites and constantly talking about it to my family, friends and coworkers.

While looking at bichon frise breeder sites in Georgia, I found one that said they also had adult bichons for sale. Thought that'd be a good fit since I don't exactly have boat loads of time to train a puppy. I called and sure enough they had a 5 month old girl who they said was crate trained and almost house trained.

My cousin went with me to meet her, and of course I fell in love with the baby ...





Now to tell a little about the breeders. I knew they were a little odd, but heck they live in rural Georgia and have been breeding bichons for 20 years, so I did not doubt their love of bichons. A 4th of July bichon flag along with a bichon rug greeted us at the front door and then about 5 barking white cotton balls sprinted at us. Plus I'd done my research and knew all the right questions to ask and the dogs were all AKC certified.

And how could I resist her?! They named her Brianna (worst dog name ever), but I quickly renamed her to Daisy, which prompted my cousin to start singing "Do a dollop of Daisy" much to my dismay.



So I uprooted Brianna/Daisy ...



and she made herself right at home in my condo





But as the night wore on, reality set in. Getting a dog is a big responsibility and I knew that going into it, but something else just didn't feel right. I started getting a sick feeling and the thought of having to leave her alone all day long while I went to work just broke my heart. So I decided the responsible thing to do was to return her and I wanted to do it as soon as possible to not get any more attached. I called the breeder the next morning and she said I could return her and get a full refund.

Long story short: Breeders turned out to be in it mostly for the money, as they refused to give me back my money despite having told me they would. Everything worked out in the end (The hefty check was cancelled) and the whole thing is now behind me, plus a few very valuable lessons learned.

I am still planning on getting a dog, but thinking an older rescue dog is going to be a better fit for me. So when the right time and dog comes along, I'll be ready!

And Brianna/Daisy is so sweet I have no doubt she'll find a good home.