Indecision

e·quiv·o·cal - /ɪˈkwɪv ə kəl/ - adjective
-of uncertain significance; not determined

That about sums up my thought process right now. So the big decision is this: to moxie or not to moxie. Seems the hyperactive little fur-person somehow broke her tie-out, jumped out of a 6-foot privacy fence and then into another 6-foot fence to visit the neighbor’s dog (who by the way was recovering from surgery and not looking for a play partner). So I now face a decision I was putting off as long as possible.

For the past year and a half, little moxie has been staying in “foster care” with an extremely generous friend while I finished school. Unfortunately, that time has come to an end due her latest escapade and the caregiver’s increasingly dwindling time. I have at most three options in my mind:

1. Finding a home for her myself. This means screening applicants and maybe giving her to someone who would love her as much as I do. However, this also means she may go to someone who cannot handle her unbridled energy and she could end up in the dreaded shelter. This idea also includes a lot of effort and internet searching to find the perfect family. But on the upside, she may find the perfect home and I could hopefully get updates and pictures from time to time.

2. Adoption society for boxers. With this option there is no doubt that she ends up in a home with a family that understands the needs of such a high energy breed, BUT (and this is a big but) I sign away all rights and never know where she is or how she is doing in her new home.

3. Bringing her home! Right now seems like horrible timing because I want to do all these new things and try to find my place after graduation. Plus my house is on the market, which is a very slow and competitive market. I have put my best friend (who happens to be my real estate agent) on a fact finding expedition. She is going to talk to a seasoned real estate veteran to find out what my options are with a dog in the house with people looking and visiting my property. So that is in the works. Then there is the task of finding ways to help train Moxie and to expel her excess energy when I get home from work. Plus the many questions that surround the balance of my life outside my home and spending more time here in the middle of nowhere. I do not have friends that live in this direction and I am an hour from work, so having a dog here means less time with others and less time at the gym that I just joined – BUT I did it before and things weren’t all bad. Plus I keep thinking: who gives up on their children? Why can’t I sacrifice some of the things I want to do in order to keep my baby? I know she isn’t a person, but she is my fur-person and that means just as much. The other part to this is that I can try. Then if after a month or two, I realize that adoption is the better choice, I can still do that. And then I don’t ever have to look back and think, why did I not even try?! The other way around (chosing adoption right away), I never have a second chance.

So these are the options and I am running out of time to decide, but I don’t want to give up on such a loving animal. She is MY Moxie after all. But maybe what is best for her isn’t being with me either. HELP – I need some weigh-ins on this one. I know that ultimately it is my life and my decision, but any advice or thoughts on the matter may help swing the pendulum in one direction or the other.