A Boy, A Lady, A Man, and A Dog

Our dog/newest additionWe did it. We finally did it. Our family of four became a family of five a couple of weeks ago. My family got a dog.

I first talked about considering a dog here. A man and a dog. But it wasn’t about me. Getting a dog certainly wasn’t about SJ. He’s not a dog fan. He asked about getting a tree house so he could be away from the dog. And it’s not about Mrs. MMK. She likes dogs but was not looking for more responsibility

A Boy and A Dog

A boy and his dogIt was about BR. He loves dogs and has been bugging Mrs. MMK and me to get one for a couple of years. We’ve discussed it, debated pros and cons. I’ve been ready to be a grandparent to a dog for over a year now. Think about it – we get the fun along with only periodic times of responsibility. Sounded perfect to me. BR didn’t agree.

So, what finally convinced Mrs. MMK and I to break down and get a dog? BR is 12-years-old. He’s still young enough so that a dog can be a best friend. For a kid who is on the shy side, this is especially meaningful.

Dog Owners

And now, here we are – the MMK family is pet owners.

Mrs. MMK and I are not under the impression that our tween whom we have to bug to make his bed and pester about homework is going to turn into a dog walking, poop scooping responsibility machine.

Though BR will be and has been walking the dog. And so have I and Mrs. MMK (so far the dog has only pooped on walks with her – think of all the bonding they are having. Aint she lucky!) A Lady and a dog.

A Lady and A DogWho is our dog Leila?

Anyway, the dog’s name is Leila. She’s a rescue and is apparently from Egypt or at least that’s what they told us at the rescue center. Though her papers say she is three, the woman who runs the rescue center says Leila is about 1.5-years-old. Either way, we wanted a young dog but not a puppy. Why you may be wondering? Well, Mrs MMK and I had enough with potty trained via our two children, and we weren’t interested in having to train anything else.

Even without training, Leila has caused our family to go back in time. We are again asking questions like, “Did she eat? Did she pea? Did she poop?” Substitute “she” for “he,” and it is 2006 when SJ was born.

Leila came to us a couple of days after she was spayed. Between the surgery and her uncertainty over this weird new family, she was shy for the first two days. She spent most of the first 48 hours hiding under the table or any furniture that was near.

Since then, Leila has two demands: company and rubbing her belly. She can’t get enough of either. Leila is also on the quiet side, small, and not particularly aggressive which is exactly what we wanted. Hopefully, her demeanor will encourage and make it easier for SJ to get more comfortable.

Leila is adjusting. We are adjusting.

And our family of four is now a family of five.

Welcome Leila, our new addition.

A Man and His Dog

9 thoughts on “A Boy, A Lady, A Man, and A Dog

  1. Oh how wonderful! I remember when I got Shorty for Mr. T – there is something special about a boy and his dog. Sounds like Leila is fitting in nicely!

  2. How sweet! I remember my trepidation about getting a hamster–one of the easiest pets imaginable. But there’s also some push for a kitten, which I think is a step easier than a dog. Maybe we’ll work our way up to dog. I wouldn’t relish dog walking in the middle of a cold winter.

    • You hit one of my concerns right on the head. I am not looking forward to walking her in the frigid cold. She doesn’t like the rain and does her stuff quickly when it’s raining. Let’s hope it’s the same in winter.

  3. Congrats for joining the world of pet owners! I’ve always had dogs growing up and now, I’m on my second golden retriever. And we’re in the process of thinking about getting a new golden puppy. I know what you mean by the puppy training, if you’re not up for it then you made the right choice to get an older dog 🙂

    • SO glad to hear from you on this. I thought of you because I know you are a big dog person.
      Two dogs? Wow! Nice. One is plenty for us.
      Btw, I love Golden Retrievers – so friendly.

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