Puppy Problems

I admit it.  I made a big mistake.

I took my wants-a-puppy-more-than-anything girl to the local animal shelter.

My original plan was to line up some way for her to volunteer working with animals for two reasons:  1) to see how much work they require and 2) to become comfortable around animals.

We read up about volunteering at our local animal shelter - the only requirement I saw was that volunteers under age 18 needed an adult with them.  No problem.  I was going to do that anyway.  It took me all week to reach an actual person on the phone to ask a few questions before we went over to the shelter.  In the meantime, my daughter and I were psyched up for our visit to the shelter.  We were going to help take care of the animals.  Yay!  During my phone conversation, I was informed that all volunteers must be over 13 years old.  Oh - major bummer!  She cried when she found out we couldn't volunteer with them.

So I did the next best thing.  I said, "Why don't we go and visit the animals anyway and see what the shelter is like?"  Okay - it was a deal.  After school was finished, we headed over to the shelter.  The whole place smelled...like a whole bunch of animals live there.  Phew!  The kennels and all the animal areas were clean - that smell just can't be avoided when so many animals are housed in one place.  When we walked down the line of kennels, the dogs barked like crazy.  My daughter was scared of the sounds and frightened by the dogs barking and jumping up on the cage doors.  I asked if she wanted to leave and she almost said "Yes..." but then we saw some puppies.

Ah yes...the puppies.  The experience had been traumatic so far.  She had found a cat she liked in one room, but I am terribly allergic to cats, so we had to pass that one up.  In my let's-make-it-better-for-her mom brain, an idea formed.  If I were thinking logically, I would've voted my idea off the island.  But I wasn't thinking logically.  My daughter had already had to be disappointed because she couldn't volunteer, then scared by the loud barking, and turned down on the cat idea.  What harm could there be in asking to have a visit with one of the puppies?  I wanted to end our visit on a good note, and she had never spent much time around puppies.  This would give her experience with a puppy and we could talk about the responsibility involved in caring for a dog.  All of this seemed logical to me.  What I didn't bank on was her falling in love with the puppy.  A half hour with the pup was enough for her.  Total puppy love.

Problem:  I wasn't prepared to buy a puppy.  I certainly didn't want to bring one home without talking to my hubby.  And it was the kind of dog that sheds.  We need a hypoallergenic dog for our allergy-prone household.

So, after bonding with this puppy, I had to walk my girl back outside sans fuzzy furball.  "I would do anything to have that puppy!"  She told me.  Ugh.  What's a mom to do?  She cried and cried on the short drive home.  I was totally in the doghouse.

When she arrived blotchy-faced and head-down, my husband remarked that he thought she'd be happy.  We shared our experience and he said he thought we had a 25% chance of coming home with a puppy.  This really surprised me because my husband is 99% against having a dog.  I guess he surmised two animal lovers visiting the pet shelter might = 100% new dog.

Why is it that when parents try to do something right, it can turn out so wrong?

After this experience, I have figured out that she doesn't really want to work with animals.  She wants to have her own puppy at home.  Who can blame her?  I had a puppy while growing up and we became best friends.  There's no one like your family dog when it comes to getting through the drama of life.  Great listeners, great snugglers and secret-keepers, and they're always there when you need someone to talk to.

Ah well - we'll keep trying.  I've been scouring the internet for available puppies in our area.  Talking things over with my husband.  Thinking about what to do if we travel, or have an all-day event...I have a feeling we'll be posting new puppy pictures sometime within the next year.