Thursday, April 06, 2006

Doggy do-right

Well damn if Emma doesn't keep bringing up the fact that I told her we could get a puppy this summer!
The background story is that we’ve been thinking about getting a dog for quite a long time now, but some major life event keeps coming up that delays it. First, it was the fact that we were remodeling our entire house for-ever, oh, it went on and on and on. We were worried we’d give the little pooch some sort of doggy psychosis what with all the brain-rattling noises and chaos. And then, I was pregnant with Miles and we were still under construction – that was special, let me tell you – I didn’t want to live there. Then, which is now, we’ve got little Miles to think about – we wanted to give him some time to adjust to being human and to grow a bit so he was a least a little bit bigger than the dog. Then? Then I started working and that has thrown a whole new wrench in the works – how can I raise a puppy now when I’m gone all day 3 days a week? Who will take care of the wee thing while we’re all away? Also, we’re planning a family vacation to Germany this summer for 2 weeks and can’t very well leave a new member of the family behind to develop paranoia and abandonment issues (see I’m quite convinced that dogs develop all of the same problems as humans and that’s why there are so many f’ed up dogs out there, because people really don’t get this detail about their pets). An-nee-way, Emma knows that we’ve been talking about getting a dog because we’ve had lots of conversations about what kind of dog we want to get (and I think we’ve decided that we want a mut because all the full breds seem so, well, you know, so full of issues) and so we’re getting committed to this idea. Because as anyone who has kids knows, once a kid has glommed on to an idea, look out, because you will never hear the end of it!
I must, in some sleep-deprived haze, agreed to Emma that we would get a dog this summer after we got back from Germany because I have now heard her bring it up on a number of occasions. The first time it happened I was in her classroom at school volunteering when I heard her talking to her friend and it went like this:
Emma: I’m getting a dog this summer! (mom's ears perk up)
Friend: No you’re not (you couldn't possibly be that lucky)
Emma: Yes I am! My mom said we’re getting a dog when we get back from Germany! (mom slinks away)
What?! Shit! I thought she was going to drop that idea just like everything else I casually mention. She is normally so easy about stuff like that! She’ll want something and then forget all about it. Well, not the dog. Nope, this idea she has glommed onto with fierce determination – because this was not the last time she mentioned it. I’d say since that conversation in the classroom she has brought it up a least 10 times – and it’s always just a little comment here or there out of the blue: Are we going to get a dog like Chloe’s? (her cousin)
What kind of dog are we getting?
Can our puppy sleep in my room?
I want to name our puppy Ruby!
I want to name our puppy . . . .X!
Are we getting our puppy right after Germany?
When are we going to Germany??
It goes on and on. I think I’m committed here. Okay, so now I have to figure out how to make this work so the poor pooch isn’t stuck at home alone all the time. Anyone have any good techniques for integrating a dog into the family with kids and a busy schedule successfully? I'd love to hear how you make it work because the last thing I want is a sad puppy!

2 comments:

j.sterling said...

better buy the pup! and get me one too while you're at it!

Her Bad Mother said...

Came over from your comments at SJ...

Can't help you with advice - no dog here YET - but will be interested to hear how this goes for you, as there's a dog in our crowded future, too.

And? Boxer Rescue is awesome, I've heard.