Fate? Kismet? It's Still Another Mouth to Feed

So, the other day, as I was driving I thought I was going in the direction of the breeders where we got our first German Shepherd, Sasha, that passive-aggressive pooch who didn't get interesting until her later years. I was thinking that I might try the Great German Shepherd Experiment at some point to see if there were actually any benefits to the breed or find that I should just avoid enthusiasts as nothing more than crazy people.

This evening as we were settling in and into the the latest Jim Butcher Harry Dresden novel, my sister-in-law calls and asks to speak to my husband. Evidently he told her no, no more dogs, until I told him about my thought the other day and that I had specifically said I would only get a male German Shepherd. The two females of my acquaintance left nothing to recommend the breed whatsoever. Neuroses hardly begins to cover their personality problems. So we agree to go out and look at this dog.

I loved him the moment I saw his big, brown intelligent eyes, that met mine and quickly looked away as he started licking my hand. He's not shy, but he does understand dominance. He was so well behaved in the truck on the way home it took his head coming up in between the seats halfway home to remind me he was there. We took him on a walk before we brought him into the back yard to meet the other dogs. Yes, I adhere strictly to Cesar Millan's behavioral model for our "pack". Our shitsu/poodle mix went into immediate submissive mode. That will teach him to trust her. She's the biggest little dog ever. Sam is her usual neurotic self, not knowing whether to try to crawl up my butt or try to assert some dominance somewhere. I am expecting the two big dogs to work it out to her advantage, teaching her a little back bone. She's far too skittish for my liking, but nothing I've done has snapped her out of her constant state of flight.

I just have to wonder at things like this. I don't believe in any sort of precognizance or prescience. It just seems more than a coincidence that I should think about a male German Shepherd just days before my sister-in-law calls us to tell us someone has abandoned one out by her house in the boonies. but I also cannot seem to shake "the feeling" that we're not training him for us, but for someone else. I don't think we will have him for long. For that we will have to see.

But, as I look into my crystal ball, I see more vet visits in my future...