Give and Take

I've been having interesting conversations recently. They have been from the pro-no-dog folks—people who previously had a dog, but now do not. The bottom line is they wanted to do something else and the dog(s) held them back. One couple does extensive overseas bike rides. This is something my husband and I have often talked about and would love to do, but could not/would not because of the dog.

The dilemma for me is do I choose not to have a dog because I'd be gone for a certain length of time, when the majority of time, I'd be at home? We've often talked about traveling overseas, but with the recent dollar exchange, we decided this continent would be more affordable and equally enjoyable. And this continent, at least on this side of the southern border, we can easily take a dog.

Also, a friend reminded me, I am a homebody. I love camping, but I love my home and garden. Do I really want to be gone for months at a time? As fun as the van is, it's small! As an adult, the longest I've been gone is a month and we took the dog with us. It was during the winter and the garden could manage on its own. I don't really want to go during our summer as it's so nice here.

So what's a girl to do?

There's a little pup I passed up on. Perfect size; sounds like a lovely little personality. We weren't ready. I am so uncertain about this!