Woof

Yesterday someone asked me why we decided to move to Denver. I covered this somewhat when I announced that we were moving, but it can't hurt to go into more detail. So, here are the main reasons:

• Weather. Denver is cold sometimes, but not overly so, and it's not humid and has tons of sun, plus real seasons. The climate is ideal for us.
• City size. We don't want to be in a huge metropolis or a tiny town. Denver is a nice, mid-size city with a lovely downtown area and stuff to do, without being overcrowded or full of tourists.
• Cost of living. Denver is very affordable, at least compared to DC. This has a positive impact on a lot of things, but one of the main ones is that we can afford to buy a house that isn't miles out of town, which means that we do not have to worry that we will spend most of our day on a long commute.
• Beauty. Denver is gorgeous, and very outdoorsy. There are the mountains, obviously, but there are also rivers and lakes and parks galore. It's a very healthy town with a focus on activity, which means lots of bike paths and walking paths.
• Location. I love the west, and so does Torsten. It might not be within driving distance of all those big East Coast cities, but we never drove to those. I could totally see us taking a road trip to the Dakotas, though. Or to Salt Lake City, or Santa Fe, or Phoenix.
• It's pet-friendly. I am dying to have a dog, and DC just isn't the place for that. I mean, it's definitely doable, but it's not exactly a pet-loving, outdoorsy sort of place. In Denver, I get the sense that tons of people have pets, and there are lots of place to take them with you on hikes or jogs or whatnot.

Now, speaking of that last one--when we move to Denver, we are FINALLY getting a dog. Torsten really wants a lab, but I think we're going to wait on that one until we have a house and possibly a child. Labs are adorable, but they are big and energetic and I can't imagine that they will do so well in an apartment.

The awesome thing about this move, though, is that we are finally, after years of waiting, in a good position to have a dog. The city is right, a lot of apartments are pet-friendly, and someone will be home all day to take care of the dog so it won't get lonely or feel cooped up.

Now, we are not going to get the dog right away--we're going to wait until we've found an apartment and are settled in. But, obviously this is one of those places where I totally get ahead of myself and start looking on all the shelter and rescue sites in the Denver area for possible dogs.

And I am totally overwhelmed. Here are the basic criteria:

• The dog should be about two years old. We want it to be an adult but still live for a long time.
• It should be medium-sized, somewhere in the range of fifty pounds.
• It should be medium-energy. It shouldn't be totally lethargic and have to be dragged on walks, but nor should we have to take it on a ten-mile hike every day just to keep it from destroying the house.
• It should also be house-trained and crate-trained, and if not already obedient, at least trainable. It needs to be decent around kids and other dogs, because we may obtain both during its life. But that stuff is about the individual dog, not the type of dog.

So basically, we want a dog that is medium in every way--age, size, and temperament. And so far, I haven't found the exact dog or breed that fits the bill. There are a couple that could turn out to be right, and ultimately we'll have to visit with a few dogs to find the one that just feels like a good fit. But in the meantime, I'd like to do some research and have more of a general idea what we're looking for before we launch ourselves on a room full of dogs and I fall in love with the most inappropriate one there, like a pit bull/Great Dane mix.

Here are the dogs that I've found so far and think could be a good match:


Pepper is a 2-year-old Australian Cattle Dog described on the website as being sweet, mellow, and well-trained. I wonder about the breed, though, because Australian Cattle Dogs in general are high-energy and like having jobs to do, which our dog wouldn't have.


This is Jersey, a basset hound that I am in love with. She is sweet and mellow but not too mellow, but she's a bit older (6) than we want. Torsten doesn't like basset hounds (which is horrifying) and they also tend to bark, so she probably wouldn't be the best choice, but I LOVE HER.


Fern is a bit older (5) than we wanted, but she is just SO cute and apparently sweet and cuddly and adorable. God, I love beagles.


Stormy is an otterhound, which I've never heard of before. The description doesn't talk about weight and age, so it's hard to tell on those counts, but apparently she's very sweet and lovable. Torsten wants her. I'm a little less sold.


Abbey is a Welsh Corgi, one of my favorite breeds but not so much for Torsten. But look how CUTE. And apparently she is a total sweetheart. I don't know how old she is, though.

So what do you think? Do any of these dogs stand out to you? Or more generally, do you have any recommendations, either positive or negative, about specific breeds?