I am a better fit for some dogs than others

We were in a pet store recently and C saw a posting for someone looking for a temporary home for their border collie. The owner’s mother was in the hospital out of state, so the owner needs to be away for an extended and unknown period of time. And I will tell you, it was tempting. We love Border Collies; they’re great dogs.

What stopped us was remembering that as much as we love Borders (and Aussies), we aren’t actually good Border/Aussie people. We don’t get out and exercise the dogs nearly enough for a herding dog to be happy, and we’re terrible at grooming their long coats. There is a reason we now have a lab mix and a hound.

And it’s a hard thing to admit to, that we aren’t good for something we love. But its true.

I loved Moree more than just about anything, but he probably would have been a happier (and better behaved) overall dog on a ranch or doing agility or fly ball.

I will never think of Moree as a mistake, because he certainly wasn’t. But he was a learning experience. And we learned we have to take us in to account as much as we do our love of a breed.

No one wants to admit their shortcomings, but we know we have to, if we want to have healthy, happy dogs.