The fur is worth it
Two years ago my husband told me my three-year campaign to convince him to get a dog had worked. He grew up dogless. I can't imagine my childhood without them.
Reggie is a member of our family. I mean look at that face:
Before we got Reggie, I remember non-dog owners warning me that I might regret having a dog when we had children. They told me things like, "they get in the way, and their fur is everywhere which no new mother wants to deal with." I can honestly say there hasn't been a single day that I've wondered if getting Reggie was a bad choice. It was one of the very best decisions. And yet the fur issue is a real concern.
Reggie is a golden retriever. He covers every square inch of our home with fur. Once it's clean he seems to be able to repeat the fur invasion within a half hour. I have lint rollers strategically placed because we're always covered.
When Jack gets up after a crawling session he resembles a Maltese. The amount of fur Reggie churns out is actually quite impressive. Sure some times of the year are worse than others, but he's rarely not purging the pet fur.
Jack now likes to carry his sippy cups. He also likes to drop them. And pet fur sticks to their siliconeness like velcro. I tell myself it's kinda gross. The truth is, it's absolutely disgusting. Still, all this is worth it.
I wouldn't be giving the complete story if I failed to mention that we have a cleaning person who comes into our home. It's a luxury that we decided is important to us. I know not everyone can rationalize the cost, but if you find you and your spouse disagreeing on house cleanliness, it might be worth checking the budget to see if you can swing it. We are both busy people and being able to spend our time enjoying each other instead of being stressed and bitter about cleaning is incredibly good for our marriage. Again, I realize not everyone can do this.
So why is the fur worth it? I smile every time I walk in my house. Work can be stressful. Marriage sometimes involves disagreements. Children aren't always easy. But when I walk in the door, I smile. Every time. His ears perk up, his tail wags aggressively (sometimes knocking over things its path) and his deep chocolate brown eyes look up at me as if to say, wow I missed you, you make the world better, I love you, I'm so glad you're home, you should stay here forever. It's quite nice.
And one of the main reasons I embrace the fur: my son has a best friend. That 100 percent love extends to the entire pack. And Andy, Jack and I are Reggie's pack. Jack said the word dog (or his baby version of dog) before mama or daddy. He smiles every morning when he sees Reggie. He points and laughs when he sees him running outside. He gives him hugs. He climbs over him. He pets him and squeals with laughter. Jack is rarely bored when his doggy is there. Seeing that pure love and happiness exuding from them is priceless. And I know Jack will look back at his childhood with fond memories of his Reggie. And that touches this mama's heart. Now excuse me, I need to clean the fur off my keyboard while you enjoy more adorable pictures of the two beautiful buddies!
Reggie is a member of our family. I mean look at that face:
Before we got Reggie, I remember non-dog owners warning me that I might regret having a dog when we had children. They told me things like, "they get in the way, and their fur is everywhere which no new mother wants to deal with." I can honestly say there hasn't been a single day that I've wondered if getting Reggie was a bad choice. It was one of the very best decisions. And yet the fur issue is a real concern.
Reggie is a golden retriever. He covers every square inch of our home with fur. Once it's clean he seems to be able to repeat the fur invasion within a half hour. I have lint rollers strategically placed because we're always covered.
When Jack gets up after a crawling session he resembles a Maltese. The amount of fur Reggie churns out is actually quite impressive. Sure some times of the year are worse than others, but he's rarely not purging the pet fur.
Jack now likes to carry his sippy cups. He also likes to drop them. And pet fur sticks to their siliconeness like velcro. I tell myself it's kinda gross. The truth is, it's absolutely disgusting. Still, all this is worth it.
I wouldn't be giving the complete story if I failed to mention that we have a cleaning person who comes into our home. It's a luxury that we decided is important to us. I know not everyone can rationalize the cost, but if you find you and your spouse disagreeing on house cleanliness, it might be worth checking the budget to see if you can swing it. We are both busy people and being able to spend our time enjoying each other instead of being stressed and bitter about cleaning is incredibly good for our marriage. Again, I realize not everyone can do this.
So why is the fur worth it? I smile every time I walk in my house. Work can be stressful. Marriage sometimes involves disagreements. Children aren't always easy. But when I walk in the door, I smile. Every time. His ears perk up, his tail wags aggressively (sometimes knocking over things its path) and his deep chocolate brown eyes look up at me as if to say, wow I missed you, you make the world better, I love you, I'm so glad you're home, you should stay here forever. It's quite nice.
That loyalty never fades. If you're a loving, good dog owner, you will be rewarded for that affection every single day of your life. A dog's world is quite simple, and you are the center of it. Their love is 100 percent.
And one of the main reasons I embrace the fur: my son has a best friend. That 100 percent love extends to the entire pack. And Andy, Jack and I are Reggie's pack. Jack said the word dog (or his baby version of dog) before mama or daddy. He smiles every morning when he sees Reggie. He points and laughs when he sees him running outside. He gives him hugs. He climbs over him. He pets him and squeals with laughter. Jack is rarely bored when his doggy is there. Seeing that pure love and happiness exuding from them is priceless. And I know Jack will look back at his childhood with fond memories of his Reggie. And that touches this mama's heart. Now excuse me, I need to clean the fur off my keyboard while you enjoy more adorable pictures of the two beautiful buddies!
