First place winner
Kansas Author's Club
7th District Literary Contest, 2002
Is your family ready for a dog?
by Tracy Million Simmons
When Cuddlebug – a miniscule worm rescued by my daughter, Eve, from the lima bean pods – joined our family at the dinner table, my husband and I looked at each other and said in unison, “We need to think about getting a dog.”
Cuddlebug was our daughter’s latest attempt at adopting a pet she could love and care for. He, or maybe more appropriately, it, was preceded by a frog, a couple of earthworms, a cricket, and a ladybug. “Look mom, Cuddlebug is smiling,” my daughter would say as she watched the little worm munch its way along a leaf. I’d find her rocking in her chair, the sippy cup worm home wrapped in a blanket, singing Cuddlebug to sleep. I had to admit that Cuddlebug was a poor substitute for a puppy.
The subject of getting a puppy has come up numerous times in our house. Eve talks about names for the puppy she someday hopes to have, the names Petey and Naisey among her favorites. My husband and I have compiled a list of criteria – larger than a breadbox, yet no higher than my knee. Our dog will have short hair, tight jowls and a calm disposition. But each time we end a discussion on possible puppy ownership, I come to the conclusion that I am just not sure we are ready. In truth, I am just not sure I am ready. Since the subject wasn’t going away, I decided it was time to do some serious soul searching… and research.
As luck would have it, of my numerous friends and acquaintances with pets, one friend closely mirrored my family’s situation. Melissa had three children, two of which are the same age as my own (ages 3 and 1). Not too long after Cuddlebug came to live with our family, Melissa’s family adopted a real pet, a puppy named Daisy.
“Tell me how crazy you think I am,” Melissa said to me over the phone. “I’ve added training a puppy to my list – as if I don’t already have enough to do.”
Daisy was a welcome addition to their family, though Melissa admitted to taking on the bulk of the responsibility. This had been one of my biggest concerns. I was already juggling meals, laundry, diapers, dishes and general house maintenance for a family of four. Did I want to be responsible for yet another being in the house?
There were concerns about potty training. I knew it could take a lot of time and effort to properly train a puppy. Was I going to be able to maintain patience and clean up messes until the training was complete? Winter was coming. Cold weather was going to make treks outside for a potty break even less appealing for both the puppy and myself.
Then there was the potential destruction a puppy is liable to reek. I knew I’d have to be more careful about what was left lying around on the floor. Was I willing to sacrifice personal items a puppy was bound to mistake for chew bones until it had passed the teething stage?
I turned to veterinarian, Dr. Amanda
Gardner, of the Carlsbad Animal Clinic in Carlsbad, New Mexico, for advice. Dr.
Gardner felt that, though dogs and children could be a very positive mix, many
families don’t thoroughly consider the consequences of owning a dog.
“Many people think that getting a puppy is
the best thing for young kids so the puppy and child can grow up together. This
is not necessarily a bad idea, but a puppy is basically a furry baby and
supervision is necessary. Young children should be watched with puppies, just as
they are with other children.”
In a dog family, puppies play by biting
and roughhousing. Fur is thicker than human skin. A puppy might be simply
playing with a human child and still hurt the child, Dr. Gardner pointed out. It
is easy to see where poor precedent for interaction might begin. The dog plays
with the child as it would another pup. The play is too rough for the child and
the child ends up hurt – a nip to the fingers or arm or worse, a nip in the
face. The situation could become even worse if a child responds, as is likely,
by hitting and hurting the dog. The dog’s instinct is to protect itself and
fight back.
One of the best remedies for keeping a
playful puppy under control is plenty of exercise, advised Dr. Gardner. Regular
exercise contributes greatly to the calm disposition I was hoping for in a pup.
So bringing a puppy into my home was also going to require tighter supervision,
to make sure the children didn’t encourage rough puppy play, and a commitment to
allowing the dog plenty of acceptable outlets for burning off excess energy.
Dr. Gardner brought up another issue I hadn’t thoroughly considered. Pets can be expensive. Was I willing to pay the price? Though there are numerous factors that will affect the financial burden of having a puppy – here are some of the givens.
Acquisition of the pet is more than likely going to involve a fee even if you get a mutt from the county animal control shelter. Our local animal shelter charges $12 for the adoption of a pet and a $40 fee, which is refundable, for neutering any pet not already sterile. The neutering is not an option if you choose the animal shelter route and the neutering costs much more than the refundable fee. In my area neutering costs anywhere from $45 to $90, depending on the size and the age of the dog.
Aside from the occasional “Free Puppies to Give Away” advertisements, an animal shelter or adoption agency is probably the most economical way to acquire a pet. Thoroughbred dogs, complete with pedigree and papers, can be quite costly – starting at $100-$300 or more, depending on the breed and the market. And as Dr. Gardner pointed out – if you buy a pedigree puppy, there are additional hereditary health problems you might want to consider. Long breeds such as Dachshunds and Basset Hounds are more likely to have back problems. Larger dogs such as St. Bernards and German Shepherds are more likely to have hip and joint problems. So it’s a good idea to research, not just puppies in general, but the particular kind of dog you are looking for if you decide you want something other than just your basic mutt.
Assuming, however, that your new puppy is a typical healthy breed – you can still expect to pay upward of $60 the first year for distemper, parvo and rabies shots. After the initial puppy shots, you can expect to spend at least $40-$60 a year on regular checkups and booster shots. These figures will vary from state to state and even city to city depending on how often shots are required in your area. It’s definitely a good idea to speak with your veterinarian about requirements and costs in your area before acquiring a family dog.
Of course, you can’t forget to add the cost of dog food and an occasional chew bone or box of treats to your weekly grocery bill. Veterinarian recommended brands of dog food range in price from $5-$15 per 5-pound bag. Depending on the size and appetite of your dog, this could add significant funds to your annual grocery budget. There is always the possibility of cheaper brands, but you ought to seriously consider the possible consequences of lesser nutrition to your puppy’s health. Talk with your veterinarian. It may end up costing you more in the long run if you buy cheap food.
My conversations with my friend, Melissa, and Dr. Gardner left me with one final issue to decide on. Were my children emotionally ready for a pet?
Melissa’s five-year-old daughter, Paige, was adapting quite well to the reality of having a dog in the house. Paige was old enough to enjoy some of the responsibility – taking charge of feeding and watering the dog and watching the dog for signals that it needed to go outside. Emily, her one-year old, as well, seemed to be adjusting well to having a dog in the house.
“They are kind of like peas in a pod,” Melissa said of Emily’s relationship with Daisy.
Aidan, her three-year-old, however, was having a little harder time adjusting. With Aidan, Melissa was dealing with issues like ear pulling and rough play. As with some siblings, there seemed to be a little more competition for attention between the dog and her middle child.
“My number one concern with people adding
a pet to the family is what will happen to the pet if it doesn't work out,” Dr.
Gardner said. “Millions of cats and dogs are put to sleep because there are not
enough homes for them, or they have a so-called behavior problem.”
After weeks of responding with, “maybe one of these days,” to my daughter’s incessant doggy pleas, I finally found myself pulling into the parking lot of the local animal shelter. “We are JUST going to look,” I told my daughter as we piled out of the car.
After giving the attendant my list of criteria, I didn’t know if I was more elated or nervous that she had one new arrival that ALMOST met my demands. Naisey was bigger than a breadbox, yet showed promise of growing no higher than my knee. Her jowls were tight and her wiry hair, somewhere between short and long, didn’t seem to be the kind that would shed much. As for calm… well, can you really expect a puppy that has been locked up in a 4x4 cage and has just been presented to a laughing three-year-old and squealing one-year-old to hold completely still? I figured with lots of love and attention, she would do.
As my friend, Melissa, admonished, “You never JUST look at puppies.”
I now hear the pitter-patter of three sets of feet frolicking through my home. My daughters dance ring-around-the-puppy as our small, black mongrel bounces between them. Among the first spoken words of my one-year-old were “puppy,” “bone” and “here Naisey,” with a delightful clap of the hands.
At the end of the day I welcome the quiet as I tuck my girls into bed and settle myself in a chair to read or watch television. An exhausted puppy curls her warm little body onto my lap. Her eyes meet mine, she sighs deeply and drifts off to sleep. I must admit to being just as taken with her as my children are.
A couple of days ago I found the sippy cup. “Oh poor, neglected Cuddlebug,” I thought to myself as I peered in, looking for signs of life. Nothing moved among the bean pods, but I noticed in the corner, attached to a leaf, a miniscule, silken cocoon. It seems that Cuddlebug hasn’t missed the attention, now focused on Naisey the puppy, at all.
©2002 TRMS
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