So let me get the basics out of the way first: I am 20 years old and currently living with my parents, our one dog (7-8 yr old neutered male Belgian Malinois Shepherd mix), and our cat (9-10 yr old spayed female). Even though we have more than enough room in the house and the means for another pet, my parents have been very much against adding another one for their own reasons. My dad is allergic to cats so he doesn't want another one of those, and both of them like to travel so they dont want to add another dog that needs constant care. They're also getting older, both being almost 60, and don't want to have to worry about pets in their old age. Well, I'm young and spry and will only be living with them until I graduate college, which will hopefully be in 3 years. I am physically capable of caring for another pet. Still we werent planning on getting another, but my mom and I went to the animal shelter the other day as we like to spend time with the dogs and cats.And I fell in love.Being that this is r/dogs, I assume that some of you will know the feeling when I talk about how I connected with this dog on such a deep, emotional level. She's estimated to be a year old and the papers have her listed as a Siberian Husky, but her coloring reminds me more of a Tamaskan so I'm not sure that she's a purebred Husky. She's also small - very short for a Husky, but also emaciated at 31 lbs. You can see and feel every one of her rib and hip bones. She was just brought into the shelter the morning that we had decided to visit. What breaks my heart the most is that she's clearly had puppies, and recently. But the officers that found her on the side of the road couldn't find her litter (or they just didn't look; I wasn't able to get the full story there). When we brought her into the bonding room so we could spend some quiet time with her, she was sniffing around the walls and the cracks in the doors as if she were looking for them. She just broke my heart. She has the sweetest angel face and every time she looks at me I just feel like we're connecting. Like I said, neither of my parents were really in favor getting another pet but my mom also loves her, and my dad is willing to think about it. We brought him to meet her yesterday and even though he's apprehensive, the whole deal here is that she would be my dog and my responsibility. My parents wouldn't have to take responsibility for her; I would be the one taking care of her expenses and walking her and training her, etc. And of course when I move out in a few years she would be coming with me. So essentially, although we all share a house right now, she would be my dog as opposed to our dog.She's extremely gentle and sweet. When in her cage, she would push her face through the gap where her food bowl was supposed to be so that I could pet her. Very affectionate and friendly. She doesn't appear to have Husky energy, and I've never seen her bark or growl or howl even when surrounded by all those other dogs around her doing so. That said, I have no idea how much of this is due to her being in the shelter and in a new, stressful environment away from her puppies. And really that's the biggest problem: we just don't know.What if her energy levels suddenly skyrocket once she's settled in a home? The people at the shelter don't know if she's always been a stray or if she once had a home; would she be housebroken, and how receptive would she be to training? Would she tear things up? (I'm not the type to care about messes but my parents are). And perhaps most importantly: how would she be around our cat? That's honestly the only thing that scares me. I would happily train and housebreak her, but I know that Huskies have a strong prey drive. And if they weren't raised with a cat then they can be dangerous. Of course we plan on introducing her and the cat in a safe environment before we actually decide to bring her home, but what if she seems fine with the cat at first and then suddenly snaps one day? Could anyone who has experience with Huskies and small animals weigh in on this?Also, I feel it is important to mention that I don't have a job right now. I have enough money in the bank to care for her for a few months, and by the time a few months roll around I should definitely have one. I've been applying like crazy and managed to grab some work experience as an office assistant during my previous year at school, so that should help as well on my resume. I have complete faith that I'll be employed soon, whether it be at Barnes and Noble or Wendy's; I'm just not there yet. And I'm lucky enough that my parents are paying for the majority of my tuition that isn't covered by scholarships, grants, or loans. We have partial pet insurance that she would be under. And I've moved back home so that I can attend the local state university here, which will be considerably cheaper than my previous college. So even though the financial situation may raise some eyebrows, I'm not terribly concerned about it right now. But please let me know if this is a mistake; I'm making this help thread for a reason after all.So overall, what I need help/advice/opinions on: how can I tell that my cat would be safe with her, and what measures can I take? Can the owners of Huskies and Husky mixes please weigh in with their general experiences? Am I too young, and rushing into this? We would be taking her home next week if we ultimately decide on this. Are the financials an issue? Am I biting off more than I can chew? Is there something else that I'm missing entirely? (My brain is all scrambled right now so I may have just forgotten to mention something).I know that this is a lot, and I guarantee you that Reddit is not my only form of research/advice on this matter. I would just really appreciate your responses, even though I know this is a lot. You would be greatly helping me. Feel free to be blunt with me as that is sometimes the only way to get something across to me that I don't want to hear (but still be polite of course).Thank you! via /r/dogs http://ift.tt/2rw6sC5
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