Knowing What You Want

I am a woman of lists. At the moment, I have no less than four lists going - a To Do List (for home), a To Do List (for work), a Grocery List, a Card List. Before I met my husband, I had a List. There were 14 things on it - everything I wanted in a man and I wasn't going to settle. I got all but one (vegan), which wasn't a deal breaker. But I find that lists and knowing what I want are very helpful.

Naturally, when we were ready for our first dog together, we had a list. Here it is:

1) At least two years old.
2) Good with cats.
3) Good with kids.
4) Food motivated (which meant highly trainable)
5) Energetic (had to be able to keep up with us on hikes)
6) American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffie or Staffie Bull mix

We took a lot of grief from one rescue because we didn't want their mostly blind Staffie Bull. I got a nasty little email accusing us of looking for the "perfect dog". I wrote back stating that we didn't want a perfect dog, we simply wanted a dog that was a good match for us. After all, if we're not making good matches, the pet is less likely to stay in the home for it's lifetime. This dog would not have made a good therapy dog because of the eye sight. I couldn't have taken her into the classroom with me like I do with Lily. She did not have the stamina to keep up on hikes. We wanted a dog that would go everywhere with us.

What did we get on our list? All but number one. We ended up with a puppy. She looked like an APBT as a puppy, but has grown into an 80 pound mix that seems to have more mastiff in her. She's great with kids, cats and dogs. She loves when I bring to the classroom with me - especially working with teenage boys. She can't get enough.

It is good to know what you want!

What about you - are you a list person even when it comes to pets?