A few words on old women and dogs.

I've always had large hunting dogs, but my last two dogs got old and died (they were 17 and 18). Since it takes two to three years to train a puppy for country life, getting a new dog is a really big deal now.

Most old people, especially women, get little dogs for companionship, but little dogs are worthless when it comes to protection. Little dogs are tripping dangers for old folks in their homes. So, no little dog for me.

I live alone and no one in my family likes the idea of me living alone without a dog. Unfortunately, a puppy will be full grown in a year, and still a year or two away from fully trained. I cannot handle a large dog when it misbehaves now, and it won't be any easier, two years from now. A grown dog would be great, but everyone trains differently, so finding a match for me is super hard - so far, no luck.

Big dogs are strong enough to do some work and lean on a bit. We used to rely on our dogs to carry packs, help pull us up steep hiking trails, so they are really valuable to old people. They are also good protectors and make bad people think twice.

My kids finally landed on a solution. I'm not working full time and raising kids anymore. Now that I've retired, I have a lot more time for training. It's risky, but we are betting I can train a puppy in a year - 18 months at most. It is easier to train two dogs, than it is to train one, so when I find a puppy for me, my daughter will get a puppy too. We live about a quarter mile apart, but on the same property, so I will train both puppies to free range between both of our homes.