The kids begged and begged and I reluctantly gave in. Now, we have a dog.  All I want to know is “Whose dog is this, anyway?!”

            My daughter loves animals, ALL animals! She has read books upon books on animals from endangered tigers, to the common domesticated cat. She watches Animal Planet every chance she gets. So, when she asked for a cat, I couldn’t resist. After all, cats pretty much take care of themselves. We adopted Sparky from the local animal shelter. Then, we adopted a second kitten. She was a stray we named Orna. She is orange, so naturally, my three year old called her Orna Kitty.  Lately, my daughter has been asking for a puppy. She says it doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that my nieces just got a dog.

            Well, like I said, I reluctantly gave in. Before adopting the puppy from the shelter, I laid down the law. “This is your dog and your responsibility!” Now, she is only 9 years old and she scoops and empties the cats litter box and feeds the cats…after a couple of stern reminders. So, I was sure she would walk the puppy. We also have a large yard with plenty of room to walk this little tiny dog, so that wasn’t a worry. My concerns are training this dog! Like I said before, I had a very difficult time potty training my son, so I wasn’t looking forward to tempting the same task with a puppy. (Eerie how much alike those two things are.)  Not to mention the constant chewing, and barking, and biting.

            After a few days of the “oo’s and ah’s” over the cute tiny little pup, the WORK part of this little endeavor kicks in. Now starts the whining and moping over having to take the dog out and pick up the messes.  I keep finding myself picking up the mess and walking the dog and I stop and ask myself, “Whose dog is this anyway?!”

So, how do I deal with this? I threaten! It’s not always the best idea, but it’s all I have. I set the rules before adopting the puppy we affectionately named Popo. She’s black with a white stripe (like a police car).  

            I have to remind my daughter that sometimes we have to do things we don’t really want to do. We accepted this responsibility, so we must see it through.  I tell my daughter that if we don’t take care of this helpless little puppy, we will have to return her to the animal shelter where they will have to try to find her a new home. And there is no guarantee they will! She is very intelligent and she knows what happens to animals who cannot be adopted out. That seems to be incentive enough to get through to her. I have to remind her that all things worth doing are difficult.  And, sometimes it is important to get past what irritates you, and do what is important to someone else.

            A child has to be somewhat responsible to have a pet, but having a pet also teaches responsibility! It’s a vicious circle of annoyance to me, but it will be good for her…That’s responsibility and I’m still learning!