To Walk a Pagan Path: Practical Spirituality for Every Day by Alaric Albertsson Page A

have an eighty pound
    dog. A smaller dog is less expensive to feed, less expensive
    to medicate and much easier to carry to the car if it has a
    seizure and you need to rush it to the emergency veterinary
    office at three in the morning. Any problem you can have
    with a dog is directly proportionate to its size, which is why
    many toy dogs are poorly trained. If little Fifi tinkles on the living room carpet it is probably because her “mommy” really does not mind all that much. That sort of thing would sim-
    ply not be tolerated if Fifi were a Saint Bernard! The truth is, a toy dog can be taught to behave as well as any larger breed.
    If you do not believe me, attend an obedience show where
    you can see Chihuahuas, Yorkies and Toy Poodles do amaz-
    ing things in the ring.
    What about hair? Do you enjoy combing and primping
    and grooming? If not, avoid a breed that requires this. A well
    groomed Yorkshire Terrier is a beautiful animal, but its beau-
    ty is the result of constant care. Professional grooming is an
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    option, but it is also an additional expense, which may or
    may not be an issue for you.
    Activity level is another important consideration. If you
    are not an athletic person, avoid athletic breeds like the Siberian Husky, the Australian Shepherd or the Whippet. These
    are wonderful animals, but they are not going to be content
    lying in front of the television all day. (I know somebody is
    going to protest that his Whippet does nothing but watch
    soap operas. There is always an exception to the rule.)
    If you want the dog to be your familiar spirit—if you
    honestly want to develop and nurture that familiar relationship—your best choice is an animal with a personality and
    needs similar to your own. What the dog looks like should be
    your very last consideration. It does not matter that you like
    the appearance of a Bullmastiff if that breed is not compat-
    ible with your needs. Do your research, and let appearance
    enter into the equation only after you have narrowed down
    your search to two or three breeds.
    Likewise, Pagans can be tempted to select dogs based on
    cultural origin, but this is a mistake. A Saluki is not the best dog for every Kemetic Pagan, nor is the Irish Wolfhound a
    good choice for every Celt. Cultural origin ranks way down
    there with appearance when it comes to choosing a breed.
    What about a mixed breed? The advantage of a mixed
    breed is that the dog will be (or should be) much less expen-
    sive than a purebred dog. The disadvantage is that you do not
    know what you are getting. Even a so-called “designer dog”
    is pretty much a genetic grab bag. A Labradoodle is part Lab-
    rador Retriever and part Poodle, but which parts did you get?
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    The dog may have received the best qualities of both breeds,
    but it is just as possible it may have received the worst.
    Unlike the designer dog, which is the intentional cross of
    two known breeds, most mixed breed dogs are of dubious
    parentage. This is even more of a grab bag. The dog might
    be referred to as a Collie-mix or a Beagle-mix, and the “mix”
    suffix means that nobody has any idea who the father was.
    It is extremely important to know exactly what you want
    in a dog if you are considering a mixed breed, because the
    physical and temperamental traits will not be clearly laid out
    for you the way they are with a purebred dog. Try to spend
    some time with the animal, alone, away from any littermates
    and preferably from any distractions. Does the animal feel
    like a familiar spirit? Does the dog pay attention to you? If
    it is a puppy, pick it up and hold it on its back, as you would a baby. Puppies will almost always object to this at first, but it should calm down after a few seconds if it trusts you as a
    familiar should.
    I highly recommend that you obtain your dog from a
    breeder (if a purebred) or a shelter (if a mixed breed). The
    worst place you can get a dog is from a pet