Not a Dog Family

For years, my kids have requested a puppy. Their friends had dogs that they would see at play dates.  The dogs were so tame and did tricks and my kids wanted one of their own. They also watched movies and envied the way the pets were a source of constant companionship for the families. The dogs were also able to save people, be match makers, heal the sick and save Christmas.
As an allergenic and asthmatic child, I always had cats. And although they caused me to sneeze and wheeze and go to the hospital, I enjoyed having them.

But when my children would request a puppy, I would tell them, "We are not a dog family". I always knew that dogs took more care than other pets. It wasn't like a fish that just needed a bowl of clean water and an occasional sprinkle of food.  A dog needs more.  They need to be walked and fed throughout the day and they need a lot of companionship.  Even cats are easier pets to care for.  Cats’ toilet indoors and can entertain themselves more. 

My kids typically have to be cared for after school since I am a working mom.  So we spend at least ten hours out of the house.  We also like to go out for an occasional show or dinner. We also like to take vacations. Not to mention, I like to go out with friends from time to time.  Dogs need a lot of attention.

Whenever I would remind them of our lifestyle the kids would quickly understand that we were NOT a dog family.  

But then GUILT set in. The kids were dealing with some issues that come when families break up… I felt sympathetic to the idea of a dog. Then an opportunity came for a Pomeranian-poodle puppy. FREE OF CHARGE. She was the cutest little thing. I named her Fiona and brought her home.
Immediately, our lifestyle was a conflict with dog rearing.  The day that we picked her up, the kids and I left Fiona with a friend to go on an 8 day trip to China.   

During my trip, I read books about dogs.  When I got home, I watched shows like Cesar, the Dog Whisperer.  I even got the puppy care packet at Pet Smart. And after 7 months of caring for Fiona, I learned two things; puppies are resilient and forgiving and that we were not a puppy family.
Fiona was a lovely dog; she was easily trained and very bubbly.  She was good company and had a nice temperament with kids.  But with work, two kids and the “extras”, I was exhausted.  Even my son, had had enough of the puppy care.  The kids never wanted to walk her.  Sometimes they didn’t have the energy to play with her.  Going on even short trips took so much planning.

Opportunity came for me to let Fiona go to another family.  My co-worker, a single mom, was dealing with the same 5 letter word GUILT and she wanted to give her son a puppy. To that I said, here you go, a fully trained, smart puppy, free of charge.

I bribed my kids with a toy to release ownership of Fiona.  My daughter still misses Fiona.  We get occasional pictures and cute stories.  I am happy that Fiona is in a new family and we are back to our lifestyle.  I will try to keep guilt from rearing its head again because we are not a dog family.