What an idiot I am.
I didn't listen to my mother. I guess that was bound to happen one of these days, and bound to turn out badly.
I thought I wanted a dog. A nice medium level dog that needed to be walked once a day and would curl up at my feet when I was working on the computer. A friendly dog that I could take to play at the dog park, take on hikes and camping. I figured that an adult dog, say 3 to 7 or so would be fine -- seasoned and trained. I like the disposition of Labs, so I thought "I'd like one of those."
When I contacted the local Lab Rescue organization and had my application accepted, I was thrilled. I inquired about two dogs that fit my parameters. I would have to wait, someone else was looking at them this week.
Here's where I went wrong. I should have said "Ok. I'll call again next week."
But I didn't. I inquired about another dog, a young (1 year old) female that was only part Lab. When I heard her sob story (neglected by previous owners, but still with them because all the foster homes were full) I decided, what could it hurt to see her?
I went to see her and knew right away she was not the dog for me. But I really wanted to help her. I figured I could deal with her enthusiasm for a short time. So, I offered to foster her until she was adopted.
Argh! She's always on the go, either leaping around outside or pacing around inside. I take her for long walks, but she never seems tired out. Probably that is because, ironically, when I am not there, she sleeps. At night, she paces and barks at imaginary things outside. I think she's getting better about night time though.