Responsibility

I’ll admit it, I never asked for a dog…

I was the one who said, “Do we have time for a dog?” I mentioned “Can we afford a dog?” I remember saying “Will having a dog in the city be ok?” and then the issue of “Do we really want to house train a dog in a 3rd floor walk up?”

I was not ready for a dog. (Is anyone really for their first dog?) I did not know how to housebreak a dog, how to train a dog, how to do anything with a dog. And to be honest I didn’t want to know any of these things.

I wanted to take my time on my commute home, not have to rush home to the dog. I wanted to relax after work, not walk the dog, I wanted to sleep all night, not let out the dog.

But even-though I was trying to be the voice of reason, we got a dog. And her name is Rose. Rose liked to pee, she liked to play and she liked to walk.

Did I mention she liked to pee?

I vowed to be a good responsible dog owner, but it was tough because I felt that I was the one who had to rush home to be with Rose, I felt I was the one who had to take her for long walks after work, I felt like I was the one who had to get up in the middle of the night to take her out, and I felt it wasn’t fair, I never asked for a dog, the responsibility was just given to me.

Of course I look back on this now and realize what a team effort it took to get Rose from age 1 to age 4. Bree and I worked hard (and still work hard) to raise our little dog. But lets face it, 3 years ago I was going out of my mind with the injustice of it all.

That is until one day I looked at Rose and saw that she couldn’t take care of herself without me (or Bree). She needed me and although she can’t say it (and even if she could she wouldn’t) she needs me in order to get the right food, to take a walk safely, to be let out when she needs to pee. Without me, she can’t do it.

That’s when I realize that not only can I do this, and that I have to do this, but I WANT to do this and that has made a difference in everything.

Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy a day or two when Rose is in New Jersey and Bree and I have some time to ourselves, but we miss Rose, I miss Rose and it’s nice when she comes back to be with us.

Being responsible is hard, but it’s easier when you finally figure out you love what you are responsible for.