Pet or no pet?

Do you have a pet? We have a puggle. She is half pug and half beagle which makes for a hefty short little thing with a nose that drives her. The kids treat her like a baby or a doll at times, which is why in the picture above Chloe is wearing a hat. She doesn't seem to mind most of the time, spoiled dog that she is.

Growing up we had a Brittany Spaniel that was the sweetest dog I have ever known. We lived out in the country and she could run and run and run. The key to doggy happiness when you have a hunting dog. She was hit by a truck while I was waiting for the schoolbus with my sisters one day and that event proved to be quite traumatic. We got another Brittany shortly after that and she was hit on our road as well so I believe my parents decided enough with that.

As an adult those memories we are a tad painful and I had decided that I did not want any pets. My hubby on the other hand likes dogs and then when adding in the kid factor, eventually this momma was won over. Our first pet was a Springer Spaniel being that I wanted to relive my childhood a bit. However, hunting dogs are not so good in town on a 1/3 acre lot. We were able to find a great place for him with another Springer where they love his breed and he has lots of room to run.

That leaves us with Chloe. She is really cute in an ugly sort of way. The kids adore her and everytime she is let in, she runs to Steve's chair to see if he is there. Of course, when convincing me that we should get a pet the kids told me all kinds of tales of how they would take care of her, spend time with her and walk her. Their excitement for all things puppy care waned as time has gone by, but they do pretty well for the most part. We take turns taking her out and the youngest two love that they get to feed her. Els is the one that walks her the most out front and the twins love playing tug of war with her and her rope. One benefit to a large-ish family. Many hands, light work.

Looking back I'm not sure that I would do it again but our family really does enjoy Chloe. Pets just require lots of attention, regular feeding and going on vacation requires a little more effort. But it can be done. If your kids, however, are in the market for a pet and you are not on board, Burger King has these cute little iDogs in their happy meals. I am not one to buy Happy Meals but we had a special day last week and so while the older two with with their Dad, the youngest three went out for Happy Meals with me. Those little iDogs have been a hit. They light up and come with a costume sticker sheet so the kids have spent their time dressing up their little turtles to look like bees. No dog food, walking or shots needed. My kind of pet!

“This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Burger King Corp.”