Had I Known

Funny thing about having a dog.

Our house has been much tidier!

The kids know the new puppy will chew on toys left out, so they've been sure not to make their infamous messes while he's running around.  And it's amazing how quickly they can clean up these days when I say: "I'm going to get Sirius out of the crate."

Had I known that having a dog was going to teach this lesson much more effectively than I've ever been able to then I would have given in much sooner to their requests.

Ok, ok, so I had to pull a lego out of his mouth today, but other than that, we've had no major issues with choking on a toy. Yet.

One of the reasons I put off getting a dog, especially a puppy, was I felt I had enough on my plate. I didn't want to add to my daily to-do list. But this puppy is a real joy.

I didn't grow up with many pets. The animals we did have were kept outside, and, looking back, I can see we didn't treat them much like pets. I always heard people state how pets taught responsibility, but I associated that with feeding the animal and spending quality time with it more than anything else.

Having Sirius has also cut down on the children's morning TV time. Instead of asking to cut the TV on first thing in the morning or while I'm trying to fix breakfast, they are both busy playing with the dog. While I have no problems admitting we are a TV loving house, it's nice to see them channel their energy into something else at the start of the day.

Of course I'm partial, but anyone thinking about getting a dog should seriously consider a mini Australian Shepherd.