Can I get a dog, Mom?...Please, please, PLEASE?!!!

Since early childhood, I have always wanted a dog. I always wanted a little companion to my crazed little shenanigans. Some one to follow me around and get into the same trouble that I got into. For the longest time, I begged and pleaded with my parents to let me get a dog, but the answer was always a firm, "No!". You see, my parents were not dog people by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, my Mom was downright scared of dogs. So, despite all my bickering, complaining, and begging they always stood their ground. And wisely so.

In hindsight, I was way too young and irresponsible to have a dog back then. If they had let me get one, it would have ended up being them, not me, that cared for it on a daily basis. Yeah, I would have played with the dog most of the time, when it was convenient for me to do so, but in my opinion a child is just not responsible enough to do everything it takes to care for a dog alone. A child isn't going to want to do all the walking, feeding, cleaning, etc. that comes along as part of responsible dog ownership. So, someone else has to be there to take up the slack, and that burden would have fallen on my parents. That wouldn't have been fair to my parents (not having wanted a dog in the first place) or to the dog. Had my parents been dog people themselves, then it might have been a different story. Luckily for all involved parties, they never waivered in their decision and I had to wait. And wait I did.