Over the last couple of years, we lost our best buddies.  The furry critters that grounded our backyard, entertained our kids, and constantly left us shaking our heads at both their absolute sweetness and goofiness.  We went from fully dog stocked to dogless.  

It’s been sad.  But mostly, we’ve felt unsupported and judged. 

When I was a child, our family decided they wanted a puppy.  My brother and I were required to sit with my mom and read books on how to treat a puppy.  We had responsibility.  Feed the dog, pick up after the dog, make sure the dog wasn’t freezing or melting, and play with the dog.  We were monitored by an adult.  We were taught, while a priceless companion.  Dogs are animals.  Dogs were domesticated as helpers to work.  They deserve respect, but also they are not boss. 

It’s a dog. 

Fast forward about twenty years.  I’m grown now, we’ve lost our man’s best friends, and we decided we would start the slow process of researching and getting a new dog.  We have children, and in my opinion, a puppy is one of those bucket list items.  Every little boy should get to have a pup to grow up with him.  Thus began our search.  

Enter everyone else.  

The government has weighed in (thank you TX HB 1451), self-righteous breeders (who advised my husband that a little boy has no business around a puppy and did his wife realize that a two-year-old shares the same floor space as a puppy), and those who have shamed us for not going for a rescue. I heard it wonderfully summarized by an older friend the the other day, “during the last twenty years, the nature of a pet has gone from backyard and table scraps to a spot in the bed and a medical plan”. 

First, this is a prime example of what happens when irresponsible people make the government and activists feel entitled to overregulate EVERYTHING.

Second, No, it never occurred to this college grad that a two-year old and puppy would be in the same space.  I had the common sense to babyproof my house, but preparing for a baby dog would be ludicrous.   Third, we want a puppy. 

When did it become such a faux pas to want something and go for it? When did it become the social norm for us to justify family decisions to everyone? 

 Seriously.  It’s a DOG.