The verdict on the dog decision isn’t a yes or a no. It’s the worst kind of verdict: wait.

About two weeks ago we went up to the highlands to visit some friends and see the dentist. Our trip ended up reminding us of dog owning headaches. At the mission station people have many dogs of various shapes, sizes, personalities, and occupations. While we were visiting it was suspected that a puppy died of Parvo, so most dogs went on lockdown. Vet care is sporadic and/or do-it-yourself. Despite being a missionary, I’m not really a do-it-yourself kind of person. Being vet-less would undoubtedly take away years of my life in needless anxiety about our four-legged friend. A Parvo outbreak with no vaccine readily available is just one of many potential health hazards facing dogs here. On top of being reminded of the realities of life without a vet, we stayed at a house with a dog and were reminded of what it’s like to have barking outside your window at night. These were obvious points against.

Ray’s “Sammy” will be her dog for now.

Then on Sunday we went to a new friend’s house. He’s British, his wife is Canadian, and they’re inviting anyone and everyone to come watch World Cup games at their place. They have two enormous dogs, a Rottweiler and a German Shepherd. We all attended closely as Ray made herself known to these behemoths, and I’m not sure which creature liked the other best. Ray squealed with delight any time one of them looked at her, and they doted. After the brief meeting, they were put outside where the Rottweiler watched over her from the window. When Brian started playing “too rough” with Ray, the dog let him know. For Ray’s part, her whole body lit up in reaction to being so near dogs, especially one that would “talk” to her through a window.

It’s quite clear that Ray is enamored with dogs, maybe to her detriment. She’ll have to learn that many of the dogs around here are not friendly; we always keep a close eye on her when her dog alarm (outstretched arms, bright eyes, a torrent of baby words) goes off. We don’t want to prevent her from knowing the joys of dog ownership just because it’s a difficult and sometimes heartbreaking task in PNG. However, we’ll wait until she’s a bit older, during a time in which we can all give solid attention to training the dog.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy to say no right now. I saw a little white puppy during our run this morning, and my heart broke a little. I wanted him (or her) as much as I wanted the Doberman Pinscher puppy I saw in the pet shop when I was 10 years old. And I don’t even like Doberman Pinschers. The magnetic tug of dogs on my heart never abates and knowing that I could give a dog a lovely home that might otherwise have a very terrible life makes the tug almost override sense. But sense keeps telling us not now. So we wait.