Part I
Thank you for all the feedback in my Puppies by Paula post. Wow. I wish I could say that it’s helped me to reach a decision, (my husband’s been in favor of getting a dog all along), but it hasn’t.
This is a big decision—a huge decision—and it is up to me to make it.
No pressure there or anything.
Getting a dog is not like, say, getting a board game, where if you lose some of the pieces or if the box gets torn or crushed, you can say to yourself, “Oh well. I can always buy another,” and then throw the damaged goods away. A dog is not that kind of entertainment, and if you’re looking to a dog for amusement only then a dog is not for you.
We go through a lot of board games around here, by the way.
We’re human, very human. And Mom is not so vigilant as to always get things whisked away to safety before the pieces get lost or the box gets torn or crushed. Oh, the lure of an undamaged cardboard box! Oh, the gravitational pull of an undamaged cardboard box!
Getting a dog is similar to getting a board game, however, in that my children need to learn to take care of those things in life that are the most important to them. They need to pick up after themselves and—as they never seem to do this without some prompting—it is up to me to remind them.
Again. And again. And again.
This is the part of the blog post where I grow weary. I am so tired, some days, of fighting the good fight and of running this crazy race that is motherhood that I don’t want another shoe thrown into the mix.
Especially if that shoe’s been chewed.
Or if, as is very likely the case in this house, it’s left laying at the bottom of the stairs for me to trip on.
What a coward I am! What a wimp! What a…realist! Many of your comments addressed this very issue: that the dog will become the mother’s responsibility over the long haul. Much of your advice was extremely practical and that was good for me to read. You know me, I think. You know my weaknesses. Practicality is not a quality to which I am—ahem—prone.
Well, where’s the spiritual growth in that?!! : )
The perfectionist in me wants to be brave and to make a leap of faith. I can do this. I can be the kind of person that overcomes not only my weaknesses but those of my children.
I can be the kind of person who has—I’m going to say an offensive word now—discipline.
to be cont.
here’ s the thing. (i was the one who had to take the offending puppy to animal reg.) he ended up getting adopted by a loving family who has no children, my children learned a very valuable lesson, that sometimes, when you love something, you need to do what is better for it than what feels hard for you,( an incredible lesson in true love), and i am already (inspite of the early morning wet grass pee sessions) looking into a new puppy (different breed!)
i think i am like you, minnesota mom, i don’t want let too much realism spoil my fun! and what’s hard can be tremendously good too. (otherwise would we have so many kids!!!!;-))))))). anyway, just go into it with your eyes open. pick a breed (or a mix) that loves children. and know, it’s going to be HARD, but also extremely rewarding.
It sounds a bit like you’re saying a puppy will help YOU to be more responsible. 🙂
What Jennie said. Again, you are a brave woman. Puppies are not my thing. I wish you the best!
If I may add my two cents worth…
Thirteen years ago we made the plunge to purchase a dog. The only stipulation for me was that it was a non-shedding variety – I hate houses covered in dog hair. We decided to seek out a mixed breed dog as they usually do not carry the health problems that a pure bred dog does.
Off we went to a place that specialized in mixed breed dogs. We checked out several of the mixtures that were available and based on that and the estimated size at maturity we chose to look at a litter of pups that were bichon, poodle and shih tzu mix. There were three pups in the litter. We looked at the biggest and the middle size pups and both were males. I was not interested in a male. The runt of the litter was a female and upon taking her into my arms, it was love at first sight. She captured my heart and she was chosen to become a part of our family.
Maxie is now thirteen and a half years old and all those medical problems that are supposed to be bred out in a mixed breed, well it didn’t work for her. And thank goodness we chose her as we have dealt with her problems rather than get rid of her or put her down.
Maxie has horrible seasonal allergies that require allergy shots weekly (the cost of the serum is $120 a bottle – I call it liquid gold). She has had surgery on both of her hind legs for torn ligaments (big bucks there) and has a cataract in one eye that developed when she was only six.
Having only one child, I am thankful for Maxie as she is good company around the house. With diligence, she was housebroken by the time she was six months old. She comsumed the little hands of the LEGO people, ate a flourescent orange crayon (made the yard easy to clean up) and found the fundraising box of candy, opened it and proceeded to eat 4 Reeses cops and a half of a Krackle bar.
So if you are prepared for the mess of a puppy, the vet bills and the unconditional love a dog provides, I say go for it. It will be the best worst decision of your life.