Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Joy of Parenting - Canine Edition

I used to scoff at the people who said that having a dog was a lot like having a toddler. "Oh, please," I'd say with disdain. "I've raised a toddler. There is so much more to raising a child than there is to taking care of a dog."

Now that we have a dog, I know better.

Regular feeding? Check.
Bathing, ear cleaning, nail trimming? Check.
Cleaning up poop? Check.
Constant worry over his health and well-being? Check
Interrupted sleep? Check.
Finding the right daycare? Check.

Total disregard for my authority? Check.

The parenting crisis we are now visiting with Jack is the need to find overnight care for him. This was actually easier to manage with the Golden Child, since Grandma's Boarding and Grooming was usually open.

We recently were planning an event that necessitated finding care for Jack, but it was scheduled to end after our usual doggie day camp closed. I asked the camp owner if there was another day care nearby that was open later.

"I don't know," he snorted, clearly offended. (He knew; he just wasn't about to tell me.)

I explained that we needed to pick him up at about 6:00, two hours after their scheduled closing time.

"Well," he said, suddenly courteous again. "How about if you left him overnight and picked him up the next day?"

In the space of about 1.3 seconds, I went from feeling horrified at the thought of Jack spending the night away -- to feeling overjoyed about the idea of Jack spending the night away -- to feeling guilty about being overjoyed at the idea of Jack spending the night away. The joy eventually won out.

Dog Camp Guy was waiting for an answer. I sputtered a bit, then finally said, "It will be the first puppy-free evening we've had since Jack came to live with us."

He winked at me and gave me a nudge with is elbow. "While the puppy's away, the parents will play, youknowhatImean?"

"I sure do!" I rubbed my hands together with glee. "I'll get to sleep past 6:30!"

Yep. Just like having a toddler.


2 comments:

Carol Davidson said...

So how did Jack manage on his first sleepover?

Kelly said...

It didn't happen. We're such wusses.

We'll try again 4th of July weekend -- we're going to an out-of-town wedding. Wish us luck!