My early years were spent in a family with a dog, but after some issues with the last one, we became a family without animals. Then after suffering a miscarriage we decided to get a couple of cats to keep me company and I imagined growing old as the mad cat woman that everyone talked about.
But then the boys came along and Maxi developed a fear of dogs. He was petrified of them. If we visited my mother in law he would jump onto the kitchen table to get out of the reach of her dogs and it broke my heart to see him physically shaking as he was so scared. We tried everything and nothing seemed to make a difference until Cass and the rest of the Frugal Family got Buddy and then it was love at first sight for Maxi. He became obsessed with him, he wanted to walk him, look after him and loved spending time with him. It made me smile from ear to ear and then he started on wearing me down.
One year later Alvin came into our lives. Our adorable bundle of fluff that is a Bichon Frisse and now we wouldn’t have be without him.
5 reasons why every family needs a dog
- When you drop food on the floor, they will eat it. Under my table has never looked so good, I just wish I had a dog back when my the boys were weaning nd throwing food on the floor!
- A dog teaches you responsibility. Left your favorite shoes in the middle of the room and the dog chewed on them? Well, should have put them away where they belong.
- A dog teaches you compassion and anger control. See point two!
- Dogs force you to exercise. Unless you want to have to clean up poop and wee, then it is imperative you take them for a walk. A great incentive!
- Dogs are always pleased to see you. I guess this will become more and more important as the boys get older as I will at least have the dog come run to greet me.
For the real list of why every family needs a dog, check out this post. In all seriousness though having a dog is a real commitment and as much as we love Alvin, I wouldn’t want to minimise the hard work that it takes. He has to be groomed, walked and well fed.
We have always fed Alvin on dried dog food as recommended by our VET and at the moment he is enjoying some breed specific food thanks to us being part of the Royal Family with Royal Canin. We have never tried breed specific dog food before, but Alvin seems pretty happy with it and hasn’t suffered from any side effects. Breed specific foods are formulated to provide for the nutritional needs of your specific dog.
Are you a dog household? What breed do you have? How long have you had a dog and do the kids help out?
Disclosure: Alvin was sent some dog food and the lovely crate by Royal Canin. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Mum in the Mad House possible.
We would love a family dog (or cat for the matter!) as I grew up with always a pet or two in the house. Our eldest also has a dog phobia which I think would be addressed with his own dog but at the moment I am out of the house quite a bit with work and it just wouldn’t be fair to leave a dog on its own for the whole day. Alvin looks gorgeous and I bet he brings so much love and joy to your house xx
We don’t have a dog but I would love one. My partner on the other hand thinks of all the negatives- I’ll be sure to show him this post 😉
I couldn’t be without or dog now – she is most definitely a much loved family member. x
I’m afraid we’re not a dog family. We’ve been attacked too many times on the way to school by dogs for me to ever trust one.
I’ve always had a pet. Always it was a dog. I believe that the responsibility for it builds the character of a child. I can not imagine my life and that of my family without a dog …
I have to admit that I am not a doggy fan and am scared of them. We had a gorgeous Irish Water spaniel when I grew up, and although I adored him, I hated other dogs racing up to us
I could think of 555 reasons why every family should have a dog, but the most important is that dogs are great friends with little kids.
Aww Alvin is so cute! We have cats in our home but I love dogs too!
Good points, especially number 5. They love you regardless of what you are doing! Once you got their love, it is priceless. Number 1 is a bit of a joke I hope 😉 But still good article.
Regards,
Jean
Having a dog is simply amazing! As a mother of two kids, working all day long, having the best man in the world – having a dog is the additional benefit that makes my life brighter and happier! Thanks for sharing the nice post!
The 1st reason is my favorite! 😀
If you live in house it’s great to have a dog for you and for your kids. I agree
Aaaaw we couldn’t be without our little Buddy and I can’t remember life before we got him x
Also, a dog teaches you to make compromises – both towards yourself and towards another being.
My youngest would abslutely love a dog but we travel too much at the moment to be able to. I think having pets is wonderful though.
We have two dogs. Just before we got married, my husband got me a purebred papillon. We (I) named him Sprinkles. He’s definitely a “runt”, as he is now 4 3/4 years old, and is barely 6 pounds-a bit on the light side. He’s super cute, a bit hyper, but we love him to the moon. A little over a year ago, we thought it might be good for him to have a companion, especially for the long days when both of us are at work. So we adopted a Yorkie from a rescue. Jack is a year older than Sprinkles, and could not be more different. Very relaxed and chill, he loves to nap. He weighs about 12 pounds, so he’s also quite small. Both dogs are definitely my “babies”.
If we had enough room then i would absolutely love to have a dog!
Interesting Blog!! I agreed with your reasons. I too have a dog and every Morning he woke me up and force me for a walk. I really love my dog. Thanks for sharing such wonderful blog with us.