The bottom line...I want a dog. The boys want a dog. Even Brady...yep, he wants a dog, too! In fact, his first word other than "Mamma" and "Dadda" was "doooooog!"
The twins were scared to death of dogs for the longest time. In fact, I think it's only been within the past year that they have overcome this fear. It was so bad that if the neighbors behind us had their dogs outside on the other side of the fence, the twins wouldn't go outside because they were too afraid. For a long period of time we couldn't go to the park because the boys were afraid that there would be a dog there. You may be wondering why such trepidation over a four legged little thing...well, not once, but TWICE we had a dog try to attack the twins.
Brady, on the other hand, is fearless. Our next door neighbor has a big, sweet golden retriever that is three times the size of Brady. The other day it (Bentley) was outside and Brady took off running towards the dog. I caught up to him before he reached the dog, but it's owner said, "Oh, he'll be really sweet to Brady." So, I let go of Brady to see what he'd do since he'd never been up close to a dog before. He reached up and rubbed the dogs face. Then he walked around the animal saying, "Dog. Dog. Dog." He was petting him all over and grinning ear to ear. Two days later, we were out for a stroll when the dog was out again. Brady was going crazy trying to get to the dog again. This time, he reached up and stuck his fingers right into Bentley's slobbery mouth! It made me so nervous because it was then that I realized that maybe fear is a good thing. He'd get swallowed up whole if he approached a cranky dog!
We visited the pet store a few days ago. The boys have been asking for a dog for the past year. I, too, want a dog but I know that the time is not right. Brady needs to get a little older and we need to find a breed that is child-friendly and asthma friendly. Any suggestions???
1 comment:
Kelly,
Dogs are fantastic!! But you will not want to purchase one from a pet store. First, puppies are a TON of work- also they get those dogs from breeders who are often ihnumane in their treatment of the dog parents. Plus, they are beyond expensive. So that leaves a shelter, however shelter dogs could have all kinds of problems you don't even know about. So your best bet is www.petfinder.com. Type in your zip code, dog, any age, breed, size, and gender specifications and up will pop all the dogs that fit that description in your area. These dogs come from humane societies and rescue groups. You fill out an application, pay a fee which almost always includes them already being spayed or nuetered and their first round of shots. If they choose your family, you go get the dog and live happily ever after! Most dogs under 20 pounds will say "no children under 5". But any dog over 20 pounds that allows families with children to apply- can be assured that dog has had exposure to children and handled them fine. The foster parent can give you all that info. Sorry for the long response! I am just passionate about rescue dogs!!
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