special delivery

Those of you who know me very well at all know that I have been opposed to pets in general. It's not at all that I don't love animals. Quite the contrary. I love to pet other people's dogs, and snuggle with other people's cats. I actually find pets quite adorable. It's just that I feel like having a pet is like having another child, and I just wasn't sure I ever wanted to take on that kind of responsibility for something that was not of my own DNA. I just never understood why people would add the extra tasks to an already task-filled day. That, and we had a bad experience with a cat a few years back that loved to snuggle up to you, which was great until you found yourself wet with her drool.

That's right, when she got relaxed, she'd drool. Not a great trait.

So I've been terrified of getting another pet. However, in an attempt to help the kids transition to a new home where there will be no friends for a while, we thought a nice family pet would be a good idea. Even Jake was on board with the decision (collective gasp). And so when Jake's mom called to tell us she found a Boston Terrier (which is the kind of dog Jake grew up with), we went to go meet him. I honestly didn't know if we'd take him home, but I wanted to meet him.

At first I was worried. He was so hyper and I wondered if he was going to be a good dog for kids. But after the initial excitement wore off, he was so, so sweet. I fell in love.

I know, I know, he's ALEX'S birthday present, (and he's in love too) but I did not expect to get so attached so fast. He is a sweet, sweet dog, and I know he's still in discovery mode checking everything out, but I haven't heard him bark once. Even Jake loves him. He won't say as much, but I can tell. Lily and Alex chased him and chased him and chased him, and he didn't even seem to need doggy anti-depressants, so I guess that's a good sign.

So, meet Pepper:

As close as I'm going to get to a 3rd child.