I don't know where to start with this post.
It's not my usual "my life is so fun" post.
This about a mistake I made.
I let "my emotions/my wants/my do what everybody else is doing" get the best of me.
I have a few theories to why I wanted to get my kids a dog. Some are deep and others are shallow.
1. They have been asking for years and they are getting better at arguing.
2. I have two little boys and dogs are a boys best friend and my boys need some rough and tumble friends.
3. I see "busy" families(with two working parents) managing their dogs and I don't like feeling that my kids are missing out just because our family is larger than most.
4. Since buying the company earlier this year, I have felt the need to create our permanent life here. To secure our traditions and fulfill some dreams. No more putting stuff off. A dog was always in the "plans" but it was supposed to be in the next house. And since our "next house" got pushed down the list a bit to after "paying off our business" I figured a dog could fit in this house just as well as any other.
5. When your baby is almost two years old, some women start feeling the need for another baby. I wasn't going to let that happen to me again and hoped a puppy would push those potential "I want a newborn" feelings away.
Anyhow, with all these things going on in my mind I somehow convinced Adam that we should do it. He was against it, firmly, but he listened to my wants and the kids' and made us jot all the consequences and the initial expenses(adoption fee, crate and food, and fence) up on our blackboard. He showed the girls how their entire summer earnings would be spent on the dog and tried to convince them with other enticing purchases that they could make. When he saw that they coudl not be swayed he agreed.
And the next day, the girls and I picked out Penny at an adoption event.
Can I tell you what an angel this little dog was?
I had no idea dogs could be this good.
Right away she was loving and playful and patient.
You can't take them everywhere with you like a kids, but you can't leave them home alone for too long either. You always have to hold onto them when you do take them out, and its best to take them for a walk at least once a day.
They are potty trained but it happens outside, rain, shine, or snow. This concept was really causing me anxiety as I knew our kids were not going to be at all helpful with this when it was too cold outside.
And don't forget the dog sitting we would need on our vacations!
I was feeling completely trapped as I imagined how our life was now chained to this (cute)four legged creature. How could I have sacrificed so much of my freedom(since 5 kids leaves me almost no freedom already)?
On the second school day afternoon after a very long day, when I was corraling the homework and piano and keeping the baby from escaping the backyard and chopping up dinner ingredients, I found little Penny in the basement with the smitherings of a nerf football and I had my second official panic attack(the first was when we found out we were pregnant with #2 a bit too early after #1), tears and all. With a quick call to the shelter we had an appointment to take her back the next evening.
Thankfully my kids took it so well. We had been talking about how much work she was and how worried it was making Mom. Emma summed it up the best that night at bedtime, "Mom, dogs are a lot more work than they are cute and cuddly."
We hope the very best for our Penny, the kids still talk about her with love. Adam was a bit dissapointed in our flaky-ness especially since he had really started to like her. But overall, I am grateful for the experience. We all learned a great lesson that will stick with us.
