05-12-2018, 12:19 AM
@Cat: I´m not especially experienced or familiar with dogs and so I´m not the right person to ask here, but one thing I can tell for sure by simply reading your post, Cat. You already have such high expectations in this, this probably is doomed to disappoint you when you keep this attitude. In my opinion, you should not actively search for this, I would suggest you use the same method I use for finding my tattoo motives....you don´t find them, they find you. That doesn´t mean you sit at home, waiting...but you also shouldn´t force anything on yourself or your future animal at all...go and check out dogs, but don´t try to "make it happen" by force. And about all these thoughts you have regarding race etc...let me tell you something...when I was younger , before my 22 year relationship with my mare, I absolutely wanted to have a Cremello mare (all white with pink skin). I literally was obsessed with that. But when my longtime parter mare and I catched each other´s eyes for the first time, it didn´t matter anymore that she was a dark chestnut brown mare with lighter, golden dots on her belly and neck in summer. You cannot plan love. Sure, you´re doing right in considering the breed according to the environment you´re living in...but don´t try to push it too hard. And don´t you underestimate how rapidly and fundamentally animals can change their basic behaviour...my mare was a schooling horse for a couple of months before I bought her; she was a known "nasty hag", biting and kicking occasionally if her rider did something she didn´t like. It took roughly about 5 months and people who knew her from the riding lessons had a hard time to recognise her, so much she had changed. Her fur was shiny AF, she became so calm that she even accepted me running in front of her on our Sunday "day off" routine , running by her side, imitating galloping movements. As a schooling horse, she never allowed any other horse in front of her...what I´m trying to say: things develop. If you let them. If you don´t set "goals". What really makes a relationship deep and intense is adaption from both sides. The animal usually will naturally adapt to you over time, mostly the human is the one to blame if the relationship lacks deep and fundamental feelings. I´d rather advise to abstain from too much determination, let things happen and don´t be afraid to give in yourself entirely to this. Love by the way should never be about what you GET, and more about what you´re willing to GIVE...even, and especially if your own "demands" aren´t met in fullest extend.
