Sunday, March 12, 2017

9 More Things You Probably Shouldn't Say To A Dog Mom


The other day I published a blog column about finally being able to understand the Moms who have pushed the boundaries. If you keep up with this blog, you'll know that a week and a half ago, our family got a little bigger. Willamina joined our family. She's a sweet Jack Russel pup, under 2 years old, in heat, who needed a home after being pushed into the category of "unwanted" from a couple who had split up. We now have 5 rescue kids...4 pups and 1 (Guinea) piggy.

None of our rescue kids were planned. It just kinda sorta happened. The Universe shifted. Did a lil' shimmy shake. Fate stepped in. We have no regrets. Our family is our world.

People within or tribe, both friends and family, have stepped forth, without asking, and assisted with Willa's transition and donated supplies. We are beyond grateful for that. I can't thank these wonderful and beautiful humans enough.

On the other side of the stick, the addition to our family has been met with some rather snarky comments we can do without. It's to the point where I feel the need to publish a sequel to my '10 Things You Probably Shouldn't Say To A Dog Mom.' 

1. Four dogs, are you crazy!?!?! No. We're not crazy. Or, maybe we are. Define crazy. My definition will probably vary from yours. For example, I think spending $45 on a pedicure or manicure is crazy. Forking out thousands of dollars to spend a week at some all-inclusive novelty vacation spot is crazy. A tube of $30 lipstick is crazy. Deciding you no longer want "your dog" because the person you bought "it" with is no longer in your life is crazy. Buying stuff at full price is crazy. Buying "thaw and bake" bread dough, and telling everyone it's homemade is crazy. My list goes on, but no where on my list does it include having 4 "dogs."

2. If you think you didn't have a life before, you're definitely not going to have one now. There has never been a time when Lisa or I have thought, "Damn. We don't have a life." Never. Ever. Not a single discussion has ever began with, "If we didn't have kids, we could..." We have no regrets. No second thoughts. No daydreaming of traveling or weekend getaways or fancy vacations. Lisa and I have a life. Our life. And we happen to love it. As is.

3. "Owning 4 dogs" is expensive. Yep. It is. To an extent. However. We don't go on vacations or weekend getaways. We order takeout only once a month. Two years ago, we said goodbye to cable. Instead, we have Netflix and Amazon. We only own one vehicle. We never pay full price for anything. We wait for sales, shop the clearance racks, and use store coupons. We shop grocery store sales and stock up if there's a really great deal. We utilize what we already have. During the cold weather months our heat is kept between 58 - 62. The list goes on. Over the years, we've drastically cut our monthly expenses. At the end of the day, that's more money stashed in savings.

4. Your house is going to smell with 4 "dogs." It probably would if we didn't clean, but we do clean. A lot. Some form of housework is done every single day. The carpets are vacuumed daily or every other day. Throw blankets are washed periodically throughout the week. The same with bedding. The kitchen floor gets swept almost every day. The counters are spotless. Dusting is done every week. I clean the bathroom twice a week. Blah. Blah. Blah. When you walk into our home, you'll smell a variety of wax tarts, baked goods, something simmering in the crock pot, or homemade dog biscuits baking.

5. Be prepared for the flea infestations. Oh, the ignorance runs deep. We've used Revolution for 5 years. All of our kids are on it, and Willa will be too after her doctor's appointment. This stuff works awesome and that's saying a lot because Coco is allergic to flea saliva. We've never had an issue with fleas, ticks, parasites, mites, or heartworm.

6. No one will want to visit you with 4 "dogs" running around the house. Our close friends, the ones who get us, the ones I refer to as our tribe, they'll visit. They'll continue to come over for dinner, drinks, appetizers, game night, and girl's night. The people who don't want to visit because we have 4 kids, well...

7. You won't be able to have nice things. Define nice. Is this in reference to expensive furniture and decor? Are you referring to pricey pairs of shoes? The amount of dog hair on our sofa? Nose art on the car windows? The teeth marks on my Crocs flip flops? The holes in Lisa's socks? What? Our home is filled with, what Lisa and I consider, nice stuff. Our kids don't ruin our stuff.

8. Having 4 "dogs" is too much. Not really. Not for us. We manage just fine. We love our family and the daily shenanigans. There's never a dull moment.

9. Aren't you worried about what people are going to think and say? Nope. Not at all. Carry on...




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