MVP and his dog Roxy
I have no doubt this is equally applicable to some girls, it’s just that in my house it’s been boys.
I am not a pet person. My husband is not a pet person. So why do we have two dogs and a snake? And why have we also had, over the years, two cats and a turtle, plus the requisite goldfish? Because although we are not pet people we have boys that are pet people.
I know some parents just flat out refuse to have pets—too much work, mess, time, money, etc. They know they will end up shoulder the responsibility of the animal. To which I say, “ this is true.”
The thing is that even though I am not a pet person I can see that for those who are it is like an animal fills a hole in their soul that cannot be filled any other way. I don’t get it, but I get it—if that makes sense.
I am surely not going to be the person responsible for letting a hole in my child’s soul go unfilled.
My racist, alcoholic, slightly lecherous grandfather was transformed into a kind, gentle, loving man when he had a dog at his side.
My depressive, alcoholic mother found so much happiness from her succession of dogs; I shudder to think what life for her would have been like without them.
When the youngest of my four children was out of diapers we decided to take the plunge from low-maintenance fish and turtles to the dog that was the heart’s desire of my boys—especially my youngest son, three at the time.
I was not so selfless as to go the puppy route—I knew I needed a break from potty-training, so we chose a two-year old rescue beagle, Buddy. A few years later, contemplating the timing of that dog’s eventual demise (the dog is now 14 and my son is 16; a beagle’s life span is 12 to 15 years), we added a beagle puppy, Beaux, to the family. This way when the inevitable and heart-breaking happens, my son will not be dog-less and therefore will be able to seek comfort from the quarter in which he has always found it—his dog.
My older son is a sophomore in college, for the first time living in a house with roommates. Almost his first act once he moved in and got a job was to acquire a dog (from a Marine about to be deployed to Afghanistan). Roxy is a champion hiker and wonderful companion.
Boys and their dogs. In our house it’s a combo that has brought endless joy, companionship and unconditional love—along with the occasional mess.