Options

“Not choosing is also a choice, only if know you have options.” 

Aniekee Tochukwu Ezekiel

This week’s chat is about options, exploring the possibilities and alternatives that you can make a choice from.

Recently we made the decision to obtain a new dog and for me, one of the options was to purchase one with the idea of hopefully us both (the dog and I) passing therapy dog training.  We then had the options of breed(s) and when we narrowed that down, the options of breeders, pup and so on.

We narrowed the breed down quite quickly and then explored breeders.  Luckily for me, the breeder I first looked at, was in the business of psychology and also had therapy dogs.  This made my choice so much easier.  I did want to wait for a pup in 2023, however, the breeder was giving her dogs the year off, so I decided on the current litter of pups.  As some of the pups were already promised/purchased – my options were limited to four white males.  After discussing my dreams and hopes, the breeder was going to look at each of the four pups available and provide the feedback.  She recently narrowed it down to two and I have since picked the preferred pup whilst viewing and discussing by video.

Other options included naming the pup which is often difficult.  One of my colleagues suggested a name that reflected his role, so I looked at names that existed with “healing”.  I got a few names that I liked and then put it to the vote of the other half.  “Apollo” was the joint decision and now “Rainbow” (the colour of his collar) has been renamed and getting used to his final name.  Apollo is the god of many things, including healing.

Many other options have been discussed and investigated recently.  Prams, crates, harnesses, feeding bowls, food, bedding and pens.  So much to purchase for this new family member.  I am hoping that my decisions are useful and practical for our new arrival, however, time will tell.

It’s not long until we meet our new arrival, and we are so looking forward to the journey and experience with our new family member.  I know our extended family are also looking forward to meeting him and getting to know him.  I imagine that the work will begin once we pick him up.

Are you exploring available options at the moment?