Watson's got an interview today...

and i'm feeling sad.  i'd love to keep him but i've learned that 5 dogs is just too many for me.  or maybe the limit's 4 dogs and a puppy.  (allowing here for the unforseen...like yesterday when i picked up this huge hound near my house...a beautiful, sweet fellow who, when i'd found his home, refused to get out of the car and who, of course, i wish i'd just kept.)

i was sure we were making great progress on the house training but the dream ended last night when Watty got out of his crate and woke me after he'd done all the business he could do on the rug.  apparently I was making great progress in anticipating his potty needs through an unnatural (for me) level of diligence.  what i see is that this will be a long process and that i can only maintain that kind of focus for a limited time without falling over.  so we're headed for the shelter, despite my reservations.

after talking with the prospective adopter, after having a think on it, i'm not sure this will work out well for Watson.  the young man in question, who seems nice enough, is looking to get a puppy for his girlfriend, for valentine's day. YIKES.  first of all, even though she's apparently expressed a desire to have a pup, wouldn't you assume she'd like to choose it herself?  maybe she's thinking of a fluffy white ragmop that she can name Zoe.  maybe she's thinking of a dog she can accessorize and carry around in her purse for the next 12-15 years, which is the average life-span of a small dog.  Watty's gentle and cuddly, but he's also an active little fellow and he'd rather be digging holes than dangling in a bag.

oh, my trepidation grows, even as i realize i'm making wild assumptions.  even as i look down at my sweet little foster baby, passed out across my arm and making it a struggle to type this, even as i look past him at the chaos of squeaky toys and chew sticks and shreds of stuffings he's left all across the floor, even as i do the math that says i'll be 80 when Watson gets to be 15!, even with that reality chilling my bones, i'm asking myself do i have to let him go?