I Guess We’re Keeping the Dog

Almost 4 years ago, I dragged the kids to an animal rescue center up in North Miami. It was about a 45 minute drive, but they had posted on craigslist that they had golden-labrador retriever mix puppies. And I wanted one.

{Mind you, that I had NEVER had a dog and knew NOTHING about dogs. Smart Rene was not there because he wanted nothing to do with this.}

In my mind, if we didn’t find a puppy we wanted… we’d just come back home. No harm done. Never mind that I’ve got a 3 year old and a 6 year old in tow, who will probably find a puppy to their liking. (Because all puppies are to their liking.) Never mind that I haven’t the SLIGHTEST idea how to pick a puppy. All I knew was that I wasn’t getting a boy dog, even if Ryan wanted a boy dog, because I heard they were harder to manage. And I was getting an EASY dog, not a HARD dog.

And in my mind, if I picked a puppy, and it didn’t work out… I’d just take her back to the shelter. No harm done. Never mind that kids get attached to pets faster than parents drive home from the animal rescue center.

So, my only criteria was 1. female and 2. lazy. So I picked the one that was sleeping… Too bad she was sleeping because she had APPARENTLY used up all her energy being ABSOLUTELY NUTS.

Well, four years later, Midnight is finally starting to calm down. And I’m starting to like her. And Rene, though he won’t admit it, is starting to like her. But Isabel has always loved her, and she has always been good for Isabel. Therapeutic, even.

And we can NEVER get rid of that dog. No matter how many things she destroys… or eats off the counter. But trust me, I thought about it. A lot.