A Boy and his Dog

Get a dog! I know, that's not a very realistic latte for some, and I know for a fact that most of my loyal readers already have at least one or two dogs at home. I have to say that despite all of the mess (and there has been alot of mess) and despite the middle of the night outings (and it has been really cold) Goldie has been a great addition to our family. To the girls, Goldie is like a 30 pound stuffed animal which they can hug and love as much as they want to. They talk to her in baby voices and say "What a cutie-girl" Goldie loves all of the attention and all of the dropped snacks.

Our last dog died before Mason turned 3. At the time, we told Mason that Sadie was in the clouds watching us. When Mason's great-grandmother died last winter, Mason asked if she was going to get to play with Sadie in the clouds. Mason didn't like dogs for a few years, but he is now over his fear. Goldie is his constant companion. Mason does not like to ever be alone, and now he's not. When he gets in bed at night, he reads books to her and builds her lego ships as she lays on his bed. He puts a blanket over her to make sure she is cozy. He feeds her every morning, and he holds the leash when we walk home from his school in the afternoon. Goldie now tries to defend Mason in rough-housing bouts with Daddy. It is a quiet friendship, and it is very sweet to watch.

Kids and parents can learn alot by having a dog in the house. It adds to the mess and chaos of things, but, lets face it, I have 3 kids under the age of 7, there was already alot of mess and chaos in my life. When I went to the Starbucks drive through one afternoon this week, they even gave me a dog treat for Goldie who was in the back of the 4 Runner. Who knew that dogs could get a treat while I get my latte?