A few weeks ago, my youngest son, Timothy, found a brown and white puppy in our yard. Sure, it was cute, but this wasn’t my first time at the rodeo. I know how much work a puppy is (our current dog was supposed to belong to our older son– guess who takes care of it now?). Two pets, a dog and a cat, seem like more than enough to me.
“Can I keep him?” Timothy asked, all wide-eyed and sweetness.
“No, way.” I shook my head. I wasn’t about to let another pet slip by, especially a puppy. Puppy cuteness is a ploy. Think about it. You invite an irresistible puppy into your home, feed it, bathe it, buy toys and dog beds for it, let it lay on the couch, and sneak it table scraps. In return, a puppy spends the first year of its life chewing your shoes, peeing on your carpet, barking its head off every time a doorbell rings on TV, and terrorizing the cat. That cuteness is a ruse, and it’s pretty darn effective. But I was on to the puppy’s game, and this time, I wasn’t going to fall for it.
“No, way,” I repeated, and Timothy’s face fell.
“I guess that means I should put him outside,” he said.
“Outside? Do you mean to tell me there’s a puppy in my house right now?”
“Um…”
“There is a puppy in this house? Get it. Outside. Right. Now!”
Timothy went upstairs to fetch the dog, but not before walking that cute ball of fur right by me. As he and the dog passed, Timothy reached down to pet him one last time, looking as sad as can be. “Come on, Sparkle,” he said mournfully. “You can’t live here.”
Sparkle? The dog hadn’t even been in the house for ten minutes and my son had already named him? My heart melted and I wavered, but quickly recovered. “That’s right,” I said, staying strong. “Sparkle can shine outside!”
I know Sparkle will find a good home soon; not everyone can resist the charms of a cute puppy. Even I had a hard time standing my ground. So, to remind myself I made the right decision, I downloaded this:
Happy Monday,
Mary
P.S. Has this ever happened to you? Did you cave or did you stand your ground? Share your stories (and photos) on Facebook. I’d love to see them!
