I want a dog here, and then I remember again that this apartment is so inconvenient and unsafe + terribly loud traffic to have a herding breed in...
I guess to anyone who remembers Signal the border collie, she returned to the border collie rescue a week after I adopted her, and was adopted again very quickly... hopefully to another good sport/working home.
She was extremely anxious and very territorial (honestly flat out aggressive, but probably still based on fear) inside the apartment. And she ended up being a HUGE car chaser/reactive towards traffic and noise, and I happen to live right above a very heavy traffic street with ambulances, buses, and trucks allll day long. Other than that, her intense playfulness, working drive, natural athleticism (she can jump ~5 feet into the air), self-motivation to just learn/play for the sake of it was exactly what I was looking for. Obviously incredibly intelligent, learned brand new commands after the 2nd or 3rd time that I repeated it with the clicker.
Normally, these fear/reactivity/aggression issues would've been insignificant if I lived in my own house (or just a quiet apartment) somewhere more remote. The issues probably would not even prop up to begin with. But this apartment SUCKED REALLY BAD FOR HER.
And now I am still wanting a sport dog. But for the breeds I enjoy, this apartment/area is just a risk. If I adopt a greyhound or even golden retriever, then it would be fine... But I always need to remind myself that I'd rather finally start with the breed(s) of my dreams, rather than settle for "less"- which are a few herding breeds, and German Shepherds aren't allowed in these apartments, so...
... life sucks sometimes and I'll just have to wait it out.
(also posted this gigantic rant on facebook, which I never do. I thought some of my friends might be wondering whatever happened to Signal, so there it is.)
Also sad that I can't bring Lancer to this apartment, literally only because my dad is too attached to him. The last time I brought Lancer here for a day, it was by force, and my dad was raging at home. LOL