Not quite Cruella Deville

Last night we were walking along the beach in our neighborhood and someone walked by with her two dogs. One big dog passed to our right, the other between my son and I to our left. As this was happening she asked if the kids were ok with dogs. It was then that I realized how I've taken this fact for granted.

I am not a dog person. When I go to other dog owners homes, you won't see me sitting on the floor playing with the dog or cuddling them on my lap. BUT, I am incredibly thankful that my kids are growing up in a house with a dog. When we are out at the park or taking a walk and someone walks by with a dog, my kids don't shriek with fear. They don't really even think twice of it.

Having a dog around the house, who is known to bark from time to time (ok every time someone walks their dog in front of our home), gets them used to a certain noise level. My kids don't frighten easily. They rarely flinch at loud noises (aka the Blue Angels air show, the Circus, motorcycles) and I attribute this to the fact that we don't live in a quiet house. Since they were in my womb, they've been accustomed to random loud barking from time to time.

So, while I don't appreciate the dog hair shed all over my house, and despise when she wakes the kids when people come during nap time, I am so grateful she's a part of our family. I appreciate her patience with my kids, her eager greeting when we come home, her eating the food that my kids drop on the floor (seriously - its amazing how messy our floor gets if she's not around when we eat), and the life experiences she offers to my kids. I am glad my kids are being raised in a home with a dog.

If you don't mind sub par grass in your backyard and a rug that looks like.....well...your back yard. I recommend you consider having a dog.