Yesterday our oldest son came to us with a proposal. He wants a dog. He REALLY wants a dog.
Tod and I are not really "pet" people. We have had several fish over the last 10 years, but you cannot snuggle up to a goldfish. Who am I kidding...fish are truly temporary pets.
It is so hard to say no to him. He's a good kid. He gets good grades. He is just a sweet kid who has never given us any trouble. How can you say no to him?
My mom tells the story about when I was three years old and crawled on to the floor for days and acted like a cat because all I wanted was a kitten so very badly. After a few days my mom gave in and got us a kitten. A little black kitten with white paws, chest and a little white mustache. His name was Buster. I loved Buster. I would follow him around everywhere. I would put him in the basket of my bike and ride round and round in the driveway. I would carry him and hug him and try to get him to sleep with me every night. Buster hated me. I looked like a battered child because I was so scratched up from head to toe. I didn't care. Love is blind, right?
In middle school we got a little Shih Tzu puppy. Her name was Buffy. Buster hated Buffy too. (It wasn't just me!) Buffy was a good dog except for meal time. We couldn't keep her from begging...couldn't blame her. My mom's a pretty good cook! Buffy lived for a long time. I remember planning our wedding with Buffy laying in the living room.
Aren't all little boys supposed to have a dog?
Explaining to him that we don't have a big yard, we travel so much, and dogs poop...a lot, and listing all of the reasons why we just cannot get a dog was reasonable and truthful. Looking at his little sad face was heartbreaking. Are we being unfair? Unreasonable? Cruel?
sigh.
