No Dog Yet

Another spring has rolled around and I haven't done much to acquire that cute little daschund I said that I wanted to get in one of my earlier posts. It struck me this week that my indecision is based on a phenomenon that is probably quite common to retirees. I know that once I have the dog, I will adapt quickly and I'm sure would fall in love with having a dog in no time. However, my mind keeps chalking up the downsides as well. In particular, I'm concerned about how it would tie us down. If we went to a dinner party, we'd have to hurry home to let the dog out; if we wanted to get away for a weekend, we'd either have to find someone to look after it or take it with us. But if we did the latter, then who'd keep an eye on it when we went out. And which hotels would let us have a dog in our room. And then what if we wanted to take a longer vacation. And then I think about the huge veterinary bills that most of my friends with pets always seem to be talking about. See what I mean?

You can see my dilemma. Having a dog involves commitment and so too does getting involved in a volunteer or part time job, registering in a university course, just to name a few. In retirement, many people crave the freedom of no schedule, no feelings of being tied down, having flexibility. And herein lies the challenge. Once we do decide to commit, our options to do other things may narrow. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a reason not to get a dog or to take on interesting and rewarding commitments. But it is one of the issues that retirees do have to address as they implement their vision for retirement.

I wouldn't mind hearing from those of you who have bitten the bullet and gone ahead and picked out that cute pet. What's your secret for getting the job done?