Relocating for a New Fuzz

So, I have been giving serious thought into adopting a new dog before I relocate out to Ames, Iowa for 4 years of veterinary school. I wanted to adopt the dog toward the beginning of summer so that I would have adequate time to socialize, train, bond, and love the dog before I started pack full days of studying at the vet school. I understand that it may be a little selfish to get a dog when I am planning to go away for school, but the worst part about undergrad and living in a dorm was that I couldn’t have a pet. It didn’t even hurt as bad as when i didn’t have a roommate. It’s just nice to come home to a warm, loving, fuzzy creature. But it might just be the FMA.

However, as noted before, I have a fuzz living in my parents house that is used to being the only fuzz, getting all the attention. I know that it is often hard to bring a new dog home and train it. I don’t want to make Lucky jealous when I spend time with the new dog, and I know that lots of energy will be put into planning how to spend time with a new dog without making Lucky jealous. Also, I am afraid that if I get a new dog and Lucky gets used to it, as well as the new dog, that it will hurt them both when I separate them in August. For that reason I checked out the room in the house (with a fenced in yard!!) where my cousin Mike has been living for the past year with his friend Max. Max has agreed to let me live there – but Mike has not yet mentioned the prospect of the dog. I think it would be good as I wouldn’t have to live at home (read earlier post), wouldn’t have to worry as much about Lucky, would give me place to socialize him with dogs and cats (Heather’s plus parks), and I would enjoy spending a summer up there with Heather. However, this is all if Max let’s me keep a dog there.

If that is a no go – I am unsure of what I am going to do. I am, however, certain that I will have a dog. I need to do this for myself and for the dog. As I said before, I have an addiction. And 8 hours just talking about fuzzes and not being able to come home to one – this would break my heart.

So I was thinking that I would probably keep him at home and go through letting him know Lucky. Despite how much of a pain in the ass this is.

Then…an idea struck me. At Mike’s house there is a one room apartment above the garage – they have a backyard where dog poops already. I could socialize it with that dog. The other dog is tiny, and I know isn’t territorial (when I brought Lucky there). Unfortunately, I know that my aunt and uncle with voice great complaints. And it would probably be worse living there than here even though it’s a separate apartment than from the house. They are clean freaks, who dislike anything that is not theirs. It’s hard enough to let someone borrow a car, or a rake, or some other meaningless thing. I highly doubt that in this life time they would let me live in the apartment over the summer AND train a dog there. “But housebreaking…and you’re so irresponsible…your house is so close”. I could just imagine the millions of protests they have.

So this is my current dilemma (as well as my messy messy room). I shall find a solution one way or the other. My sanity depends on this.

A Story about Fuzz Machine Addiction

This is a story about my personal fuzz machine addiction. Above is my favorite fuzz (the mountain) and a deceased fuzz that I miss very much (the mountain climber). Sadly, Captain Underpants (the mountain climber) has since passed away due to a malfunction of the climate control system during my first year as an undergraduate at Hofstra University. In other words, someone left the heat on and Captain Underpants overheated. It was a very sad time. He was perhaps one of the greatest roommates I have ever had. Although Mo was pretty kickass too. Anyways, we are getting ahead of ourselves in my chronicles. This is not a story about Captain Underpants, but the trials and tribulations of fuzz machine addiction.

For all those of you who do not know about this addiction – it affects thousands, nay, millions of people worldwide. You probably have some people close to you who suffer from this addiction. Perhaps this is people who can’t stop themselves from entering every pet store they pass to get their dog a chew toy. Or maybe it’s your friend who never leaves the house without first spending so much cuddle time with their cat that they look like they went swimming in a cat hair pool. Or maybe it’s your crazy neighbor who gets up at 6 am every morning to ride a huge smelly beast who poops too much every day (even Saturday and Sunday!). There are many varieties of these people all suffering from the same affliction: fuzz machine addiction (aka. FMA). This a blog about one of those people: Me.