For sixteen years of parenthood I've resisted dog ownership. I knew that no matter what promises my children made, I would be the one looking after it. So on top of all my regular and seasonal jobs and responsibilities I'd have to add another.
My husband and I did make compromises. We tried fish (a ton of work), birds (kids were allergic to the feathers), hamsters (they only live so long), a rabbit (a wonderful pet) and a snake (not cheap). But last December our third child asked us out for coffee on a Sunday morning.
He wanted a dog. He laid out his plan carefully. What he was prepared to do, how he would care for the dog, training schedule etc. Actually pretty impressive for an 11 year old.
And of course my husband and I took the bait. Between the love for our son and our pride in his presentation how could we say no? We did have a number of conditions, most importantly was his allergies. It would have to be a non-shedding breed…and one that we could afford. The dog would only be allowed in certain areas of our home. And he would have to take a couple of dogs for test-drives to show us how serious he was.
By the end of January we (my son and I) had a breed, Golden Doodle but it took us until June to convince my husband to put the money down. Our puppy was born June 16th and Aug 14 was the arranged pick-up day.
Last week we went for a peek at our dog (a female) when much to our shock and excitement we were informed she was okay to go home. It seems her mother weaned the litter early and puppies had had their shots already since the males were leaving early. So I was alone with four excited kids to make the decision to bring her home. I needed to find a bank and get the money. I needed a box to bring her home in, I needed to call my husband and get the house ready…all the while wondering if she was too young to come home.
I'll tell you it was like an early unplanned labour. We had nothing ready. I spent the next two days in a daze of puppy proofing the house and toilet training.
She is one beautiful dog. Great temperament, fun, happy. And most of all she appears to love us as much as we love her.
No comments:
Post a Comment