Our daughter wants a dog. Our son would like one too but he doesn't yet understand that they can come home and live with you. Caelyn however, she really wants a dog. She has told us so on numerous occasions.
Perhaps the most humorous hint was given when I was leaving for the pet store to pick up some fish supplies. As I was walking toward the back door, Caelyn called out very nonchalantly, "While you're out, do you mind picking up a dog?"
Whether or not to get a dog seems like a simple enough decision. Do we want one or not? Of course, that is the mistake so many people make and why so many end up at a shelter. A dog is huge commitment financially and emotionally. Not to mention all the care it will need.
This brings me to my dilemma. I would love for my children to have the experience of a pet they can actively interact with. Fish are nice to look at but they don't exactly play fetch or curl up next to you. Of course, they don't need to be walked in 15 degree weather either.
With two small children, or more accurately, two small tornadoes, we have enough trouble keeping up the house as it is. Bring in the destructive properties of a puppy and well, you can only imagine.
Then there is the day to day care the dog will need. While my daughter gladly says she will help, a five year old can't do the job. And she surely wont be taking out the dog in the pouring rain or freezing cold. While my wife will help, she works full time so that leaves mostly me.
Do I want to be one of those people I see walking up and down the block with a bag of poop in their hand? Do I want to freeze my butt off so a dog can pee? Do I want to be responsible for the care and maintenance of another member of our family?
If I am honest, the answer is I don't. I really don't.
It's not that I don't like dogs, because I do. We had several as I was growing up and I have fond memories of most of them. One dog in particular sticks out in my mind. It was a Irish Setter who was very protective of me and my brother.
I remember when we would rough house with my step-father, this dog would find a vantage point, such as the couch, that was above us. If my brother or I let out so much as a tiny help, this dog would jump down and get in my step-father's face. We never had to worry about anyone messing with us when that dog was near.
I think my children would be better off for the experience of having a dog around. It would bring them joy and love and eventually, it would bring them pain when it got old and died. All of these are important lessons in life. It would also be a great way to learn responsibility and how to care for another life as they would have to help with the dog. It would be a new member of the family that could grow up with them.
That brings me back to not wanting to be the poop carrying guy freezing his butt off in the winter. After all, I don't want to change diapers, especially poop filled ones, but I do out of love for my family.
After wresting with this for a while, the conclusion I have come to is that while I don't want to out in the cold carrying poop around in a plastic bag, I want my children to experience the joy of a dog more.
I want them to know what it is like to have a pet they can love and loves them back. I want them to have a companion that grows with them. I want them to experience the joy of a tail wagging greeting and even the sorrow of a chewed up barbie doll. And if I can teach it to attack any boys that come around my daughter, all the better.
Now, it is just a matter of what kind of dog and when.
