When I asked my parents should I get a dog for Christmas, their response went something like; “No Molly, dear God, no.” This isn’t because they didn’t like dogs, (in fact, my Grandad bred them when my mum was growing up) they responded like this because if there’s anyone that knows my flaws, it’s my parents. Me? Be responsible for something’s life? Oh the horror.
They said I wouldn’t be able to look after it, it’d be too hard to train, and it would be unfair on the dog. I agreed with them at the time, but continued to research breeds anyway because I’ve never listened to a word my parents say.
I bought Barney off a man in the car park of a hotel on Boxing Day. This, I do not recommend. Despite being the sweetest thing I’d ever seen, Barney was not a healthy puppy. My heart broke slightly when I had to choose between him and his brother, and to this day I regret not taking both of them. Within five minutes of having Barney in the car, he took a poo, and I knew then that I loved him, because I wasn’t even mad.
Barney was a Christmas gift for Boyfriend, who always loved dogs. He had no idea what I’d done and I was nervous when I heard him coming home the day after Christmas. I put Barney in a box and put a sheet of festive wrapping paper over him. True to form, when Boyfriend came into the living room, Barney had jumped out of the box and peed on the rug.
The first, and probably the strongest Pro to owning a dog is that they are ALWAYS happy to see you. When you’ve had the most terrible day at work, nothing is better than being greeted by your dog when you first come through the door. It’s as if you’ve died and have been raised again. I’m convinced he thinks the last time he sees you go out the door was the last time he’ll see you ever. If your very presence can make a dogs tail wag at lightning speed, you’re doing something right.
Con. Dogs don’t really like dog food. Every morning when I come home from work I go to the kitchen to make breakfast. Every morning Barney stands beside me waiting, hoping against all hope that I drop some food on the floor. If either Boyfriend or I are eating in the living room, Barney becomes entranced, with one eye on your plate and the other hypnotised by the chewing motion of your jaw. It’s as though he hasn’t eaten in days, despite having a full bowl of his own food in the kitchen. Last Christmas, I made a ham. Once the ham was finished, we had no where to put the stock and the vegetables left in the pot, so we poured it outside. Obviously this attracted the dog, so we put up a fence. To this day, Barney still tries to get over the fence to eat what’s left of last year’s Christmas ham.
Pro. Dogs are great conversation starters and ice-breakers. People are just friendlier when you have a dog. Dogs are funny, they do funny things. When I take Barney to the park, everyone wants to chat because he’s there. Once, after we first got Barney, Boyfriend and I were having a fight, and it was getting pretty serious. Barney trots in and squats to take a poo, proceeding to do this weird squat-walk across the living room. What had happened was; he had eaten some string. He’d pooed most of it out but the rest was yet to be liberated, so he was just walking around with a dangling bit of poo on the end of a string coming out of his rear. Boyfriend and I were hysterical, the row forgotten.
Con. Cleaning up after your dog. I’m not just talking about string-poo, but pee, vomit, rocks he brings into the house, half eaten toilet roll holders, half eaten books, half eaten Xbox controllers, half eaten clothes (including dressing gowns, shoes, socks, pans and bras) not to mention the amount of hair he sheds. We have a black rug, and with a white fluffy dog… Well we need a new rug now.
Pro. Dogs enjoy the simple things. Barney needs food, walks, water and love. That’s it. How I wish I could be made so happy so easily.
I had more cons drafted to write about but now that I come to it, they’re not cons at all. Of course there are little things that annoy me but there is nothing I would change about Barney. He might be bold and extremely irritating sometimes, but that’s all part of his little personality. I never thought I’d say this, but I am now a ‘dog person’ thanks to my little scruffy ball of joy. If you’re considering getting a dog for Christmas, please make sure you can look after it properly. Do your research, prepare your house, but most of all, make sure you can love it as much as we love Barney.
really know that you’re not entirely happy with your life. Again, this feeling of acceptance and shared emotion is far superior to any new lipstick. People should reach out and be unafraid, because those that reached out to me changed my life a little bit more.
mollysbook 