Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Does Age at Adoption Make a Difference?

In reviewing my earlier post, I was struck how different it feels to adopt an older dog than a puppy. I have been thinking about the similarities between human and dog adoptions and wonder how far the analogy can be taken. When we decided to adopt Saylor as a nine-week old puppy, we were all pretty excited. We didn't worry how she would fit in with the family (e.g., Dakota) and we didn't second-guess all of our choices. We went crazy buying puppy toys and equipment and never thought about anything negative. Just positive joy. And true to our feelings, what followed was pure joy, for the most part. I'll skip the puppy trials.

But now, I am second-guessing everything we do in preparation for Singer. She is, after all, an adult dog, with her preferences set. I even hesitated to buy her a toy, wondering if a typical squeaky toy would be too "juvenile" for her tastes...I laugh even as I write this. Neurotic, I guess.

I am taking Dakota to our new vet today to check him out. Since kittenhood, he's suffered from mild asthma, slight wheezing, but nothing more serious. I want to be sure he's feeling fine when Singer comes, but I also realize that this is in keeping with my more neurotic feelings this time around. I have doubts, and want every thing to be okay, so I am bringing Dakota to the vet's, just to make sure. I wonder if adoptive parents of older children feel the same way? Do they doubt their decisions more than parents of newborns?

No comments: