When I bought my condo Piper was my only furball. I knew I wanted a dog once I was settled so Chris helped me choose a Boston Terrier. They are considered small dogs and have qualities that make them very suitable for apartment/condo living.
Apparently that guideline was not meant to include a dog like Ares. Boston Terriers are generally playful and excited, but Ares takes it up several notches. I don’t mean to say that he isn’t suitable for living in our condo, but he makes us work a lot harder to have periods of calm in the home. His energy level is a big reason why we take daily 3 mile walks and do training sessions throughout the week.
Bringing Ares into my life was a big change but there were even bigger changes on the way. Most people don’t blink if you say you have a cat and a dog, but when I added Chaos into the mix, eyebrows started to raise. And then the bugged out eyes and jaw drops came when Little O evened the score at 2 cats and 2 dogs.
Ares was just 5 months old when Chaos became furbaby number 3 at just 8 weeks old. Some people wondered why I would get another dog so soon, let alone another very young puppy. I guess it was a little surprising, especially having all of us in a condo. So, why did I do it? Well, I always knew I’d want another dog at some point but I never thought it would happen so soon. I had my hands full with Ares but at a vet visit one day our vet brought up the topic of a companion for Ares. Piper was already old enough to be considered a senior cat (we don’t tell her that) and wanted nothing to do with the bouncing ball of black and white fur. I worked all day so Ares was home alone a lot and when I did come home I couldn’t spend every second with him. So I got him a brother.
There are several reasons I decided getting another puppy would be the best way to go for me. I’m sure some would disagree but to each their own. The fact that the boys were both very young meant that they were learning and exploring their world together. They formed an unbreakable bond. I could introduce them to things early in life that I wanted them to have exposure to. Having puppy energy times 2 is a little wild but they could play with each other and learn from each other.
Sure it’s a lot of work. It seemed like Ares had just become housebroken and then it just started all over again with Chaos. There were costs involved with the vets visits and buying 2 of everything. But they each had a best friend in the other and that was the best part.
Last fall after Ares had turned 1 and Chaos was getting ready for his 1st birthday, Little O joined our family. He wasn’t a planned addition, it was through a serious of events that he landed in our home. It was Labor Day weekend and I had heard about some urgent postings on PetFinder.com for kittens trying to find homes. I couldn’t stop myself from looking and when I saw the little faces I knew I had to try and save one. I called the shelter after the holiday and was told that the postings had not been updated and all the urgent listings had found homes. That was great, but as I hung up the phone I was actually a little disappointed. I had been ready to bring another kitten into the family.
So I took to doing a search on PetFinder and came across the little orange face of “Bernie” from SAAP. I put in the application and was contacted shortly after to set up a meeting. After a few minutes in the room with him I was ready to sign the papers.
The adoption coordinator assured me he had been fostered with dogs and was still young enough to learn to continue living happily with them. And she was right. He was a perfect fit right away. I changed his name to Orion and never looked back.
Sure having 4 furballs in a one story condo can be stressful and overwhelming at times. There have been plenty of unforeseen expenses and daily adjustments I never would have even thought about before. There are days when the dogs are running around playing and slamming into furniture, making all kinds of noise. Little O’s curiosity takes over and he’s knocking things over and disturbing Piper’s beauty sleep. And Piper gets irritated with them all and becomes quite vocal with her feelings.
On those days I sometimes wonder if I am crazy. But then Ares comes bounding over with a toy, excited for me to play with him. Chaos lays his big head in my lap and sighs contently. Little O curls himself up under my neck. And Piper comes up and rubs her head against me while I’m cleaning the kitchen. And it’s all worth it.
Having this many animals, let alone 2 puppies, a kitten and a senior, I mean wise, cat in a the space we live in is not for everybody. Maybe I am a little nuts for choosing this lifestyle, but we are all happy with our arrangement. I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world.
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