Meet my child

I have a friend who tells me "The weird thing that happens when you have kids is that your dog becomes a dog again". It's easy to laugh and nod like you don't really know what she's talking about, because no one really wants to admit that their dog is basically a hairier and periodically louder version of a child. So I have to admit: Mine is.

My dog is absolutely adorable and absolutely a giant pain. This is the creature who will throw his toy AT you if you don't throw it quickly enough. The same animal that gallops around the kitchen barking at the way the light filters through the tree in our yard. He follows me everywhere, tears up boxes if he gets the chance, has been known to destroy couches, carpet, wooden chairs, and pretty much anything that gets in his way when he's in a mood.

But like I said, he's adorable, so he gets away with all of it and he has me totally wrapped around that devastatingly cute oversized paw. And I feel sorry for him. Especially when I leave him, despite the fact that I usually only leave him once a week, surround him with his toys, feed him an extra Beggin' Strip and know he will spend the morning curled up asleep in his climate controlled environment. But I still feel bad. So when I returned home earlier this afternoon, I had to drop off groceries and then run back into town to run two quick errands. I would only be gone another 5 minutes, but when I took one look at my wiggly little puppy so excited to see me, I had immediate guilt and knew he simply had to come with me.

That's really when I realized this relationship goes far beyond guilt and indulgence. I spent the short drive discussing with him how I don't understand school zones, how his day was, why people insist on cutting in front of me, and warnings not to lick the transmission seal my husband so lovingly left in my cup holder. All of this are interjected with reminders that he needs to stay in his seat or get back on his side. And then there's the howling. My dog is not a hound, in fact, he is a terrier, however, we learned early on that this creature has a great talent of howling. Lately, though, we can only get him to do it if we howl AT him and hold him closely, so he can't run around barking instead of getting a good howl out. Luckily, he can't go anywhere in my truck, so we have some of the best howling sessions there. I took full advantage of our little drive and wholeheartedly threw my head back and let one rip only to be joined by my dog's (adorable) high pitched "A-roo, a-roo, owwwwwwwww!!!!!". Then I realized I'm driving. And I have my eyes closed as I howl. And I can actually howl without throwing my head back. And I could have just let him doze in the passenger seat.

But where's the fun in that?