Resolution #2: Adopt a Dog

After three years of talking, researching, thinking and planning... we have applied for dog adoption! Before we were married we knew that we were going to adopt a dog... it was non-negoitable. We both love dogs and we cannot wait to have one join our family. Our lifestyle, however, was not always been optium for it to occur. As DINKS (dual-income-no-kids) we were work-aholics renting... a dog would have been an accessory and not the family pet it should be. With a new baby in a rental, still, not ideal. The first year in a new house and being pregnant... not perfect. So... the baby is 7 months old, the toddler is desperate for a four legged playmate and we are finally ready - physically, financially and emotionally.

So, now that we are ready, we want the right dog. After several years of haggling back and forth, we are in agreement that a golden retriever is the right kind of dog. We considered getting on a list to adopt a "career changed" leader dog. The wait, however, can be very long. Instead, we looked into GRROW - Golden Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin (http://www.grrow.org/grrowi/dogs+currently++in+foster+care/default.asp). We applied, had a home visit with a GRROW volunteer and her dog and love the program. Since being a approved (right before Thanksgiving), we have been called by foster homes twice - one dog was 11 and the other was 8. Neither were the right fit for us. Because we have very little kids, we want to adopt a dog who has a longer life expectancy so that the kids would likely be older when the dog passes on. GRROW is awesome. They really do work hard to make sure that they dogs they love are going into homes that are a great fit. They will not give us a dog that has undocumented or poor history with kids. They will not give us a dog that has a personality that doesn't fit our lifestyle and our needs. At the end of the day, they want the dogs to go to their "furever" home. We are being patient because we believe the process will work to get us the right dog for our family.