Over the last few years, I’ve realized just how important pets have been in my children’s emotional and social well-being. We currently have two fully grown cats and two adorable kittens, and I’ve seen how the addition of our newest little bundles of crazy has improved both our older cats’ and my family’s overall mood.
I have family with no pets in their households, and when their kids interact with our cats and kittens, the need for them is clear. They are desperate for attention from these cats, notorious for their sweetness and occasional rough affection.
I grew up in North Georgia, not too far from Chattanooga, but on a small hill where everyone dumped their unwanted pets. We were the drop-off point for all pregnant cats and mutts of every size and gender. So, I grew up surrounded by animals that loved me unconditionally in an otherwise incredibly lonely environment. So, when I had my daughter, it was not a giant leap for me to understand the comfort that a purring cat or a loyal dog could be to a child — a being to depend on when it feels like there isn’t anything or anyone else you can turn to.
Hence, I never doubted that we would have cats (to be fair, besides college, I’ve never lived without at least two pets). When having children, I knew I wanted to have a dog at some point, but I was more cautious in this choice as I wanted them to bond well.
Our first dog choice went horribly and still scars my family in many ways to this day.
Bolt, our cute fluffy-tailed German-shepherd mix, was the apple of my husband’s eye. Of course, he had not had a dog since he was a toddler, so he was a goner as soon as we got her home. LillieMarie took a while to warm up to her, but loved her absolutely toward the end, even when she started biting.
After our youngest daughter was born, Bolt’s aggression kicked up several notches. She began to bite anyone who got close to anything she considered “hers.” We did all we could to train her out of the habit until that last bite that nearly caught our baby in the face and did catch indelibly in her tiny little 10-month-old brain. She is still nervous around dogs now at almost four years of age.
Rest assured, our Bolt was loved, and we found her a safe home where she was not with her children. She does much better now as the center of a couple’s life up north. But now, I am looking at my eldest and youngest, and want to try again. I want to find a companion that can play with us outside, lounge with us inside, and be that energy-giving, lovable goof I had in surplus growing up.
I want one dog that can be ours that we can love without reservations and fears. My eldest keeps asking when the time will be. My youngest assures me she is “not scared” of dogs anymore, though anything larger than a cat instantly has her on guard. My husband is ready to fall in love again with whatever four-footed companion we choose. It leaves me with the fear of what would happen if we decided wrongly again? For the first time, I’m considering the benefits of never having a dog in the home. At the same time, I can hear her barking hello to me and can feel her soft fur as I scratch behind her ears.
What should we do, dear readers? What sort of dog would you suggest for a husband and child whose hearts were already broken, a toddler who is “nervous” at best around dogs, and a mom who is gun-shy after the last incident that could have been so devastating and thankfully wasn’t?
