Our family has been toying with the idea of adopting a dog for a while now, meaning that everyone is 100 per cent on board except Mom — The Doer of All The Work That Would Be Involved.
I love dogs and I felt like our kids were independent enough that I could maaaaybe possibly handle caring for a fifth family member, but I wasn’t totally sure. I wanted to know exactly what we’d be in for, so we begged our next-door neighbours to let us dog-sit for a week while they went to Mexico.
All 70-odd pounds of sweet, friendly Juno arrived with three armloads of gear, including the largest dog crate I’ve ever seen (both kids fit comfortably inside). The leashes and poop-bags were handed off like torches and we began a temporary stint as dog-owners.
We learned a LOT about caring for a pet and about the way our family works. The way I see it, there are six things you need to accept — and embrace — in order to consider yourself ready for dog to join your family …
Continue reading in my weekly parenting column, The Mom Scene …
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