On Dogs

Tonight I was outside with the dog and her teeth were chattering. I have never, ever seen a dog's teeth chatter before. It was the strangest thing. But it was also very funny because it was involuntary, as shivering and teeth-chattering usually are, and it would catch her by surprise each time.

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I once read a statistic about how many dogs end up in animal shelters because "We're having a baby." Of course I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was a lot and the fact stuck with me.

I almost did that too - got rid of my dogs because of the pending kid - but I was very picky about who a suitable owner would be and so we never gave them up. We did give one dog to my Dad because he was very nervous and would have completely lost his shit with a baby in the house (the dog, not my Dad). I don't feel too bad about giving him up though, because I still see him nearly every day and my Dad is a very suitable owner.

That leaves us with two dogs and one kid - one dog is male, one dog is female, and both dogs are full-blooded Pit Bulls. (Please, if you'd like to tell me how awful Pit Bulls are, be prepared for a serious argument because I will defend the breed as kind, intelligent, and funny.) (And the kid, she is a female human. Also kind, intelligent, and funny, but I don't expect much of an argument on that.)

I think giving up your dog(s) because you are having a kid is just crazy. Dogs and childhood go together like peanut butter and jelly. Dogs make wonderful companions for children. Already, at 10 months old, Ella likes to play peek-a-boo with Blue, our female. The thing with dogs and kids is that you have to be consistently diligent about supervising their time together, especially in the beginning. You have to create good habits in the dog and in the kid, so their interactions will be well-mannered.

Besides the fact that dogs make good companions, they also make excellent vacuum cleaners. This is probably the most important fact about dogs - they will "sweep" the floor for you, making post-dinner cleanup a lot faster. Free and Blue will find and eat every single tiny little piece of food Ella drops on the floor. I never have to pick up the yucky chunks, and I never have to worry about stepping on a nasty smooshed piece of banana. If it hits the floor, they are on it. (They are not allowed to eat from her hands, though she often tempts them by holding out her cheese- or graham cracker-filled fist. Maybe I should let them lick her hands clean too, so I could avoid the whole fight over wiping her hands and face clean ...?).

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I love how the dogs will move around the kitchen floor to lay in the shifting patches of warm sunlight. I especially love it when they share a warm spot.