Dogs

I don’t like dogs very much. I was raised with a fantastic cat (and rabbits and birds and fish and quail and hamsters and frogs and geckos and a houseful of spiders and crabs plus some imaginary friends and pets and so forth) and never quite figured out the dog thing. Now I’ve baby sat dogs and cleaned up after dogs and all that and have made some very good friends with dogs. But I still don’t think I’m a dog person.

I was walking home today when I saw two girls walking with a dog, a small chihuahua type, and it spun a thought in my head. It occurred to me that lots of girls go running with dogs as company. Usually a larger dog, the chihuahua was useless. I had always thought that the only way I would get a dog would be if I had enough land that the dog could run about wherever it wanted and I would have to clean up after it. Upon seeing those girls I saw my own teenage daughter. I wondered if some day she would develop self-doubt and take up running to help her feel better about herself. Who would she find to run with her? Would she have a best friend or would she get some boy to jog with her. Hmm. I don’t expect 40 year-old me will be able to keep up so who will protect her? What can I do, as a father, to protect my most valuable stewardship?

The key is to find a way to protect her that she doesn’t hate. GPS trackers or cell phones only work if she wants to be followed or desires help. What do you do when she is angry and upset about something and doesn’t want anything to do with her parental watchdogs? What if she had a dog, her best friend, someone she could talk to and hang out with especially when she is upset about whatever. Someone that would always be ready and willing, and physically intimidating, when she wanted to jog and let off steam.

How do you create that relationship? Well, what say you give her a puppy when she is…say 12. Early so she still thinks its cute and will bond with it. Also before she becomes to attached to the outer world so she has time to learn to care for it. If she takes care of it then she will love it that much more. A golden retriever or a nice big lab would work well. Everything is adorable as a puppy, we just need something beautiful and intimidating as a grown dog too.

As she raises the puppy she will grow ever attached to it. She will treat it as a child and thus learn to love it. The dog will also build unbreakable bonds with it’s owner. My daughter will also learn valuable skills about dealing with animals, caring for living things, and responsibility. Win Win. I get something warm to sit on my cold toes at night. Yes it costs money in food and vets and baths and so forth but sacrifice is required for blessings.

Big Dogs (1)

As the dog grows my daughter and the dog will learn to jog together. She will take it for walks and runs. By the time she is 16 the dog will be in top shape. It will be a protection through her teenage years, growing old and more feeble about the time she leaves for college and can no longer have it anyway. Then the old, beloved dog will serve as an anchor to the roving girl, binding her to her home and family. I can check potential boyfriends by getting the dog to check them out (a smart animal can be a wonderful judge of character). My other daughters might require their own dogs. Multiple dogs could potentially reduce the effectiveness of a dog completely reliant on it’s master. Maybe the dog can learn to jog with all of them.

The only question is whether a male or a female dog is more effective. A female might develop the mothering instincts but a male would be larger and stronger and might develop a sense of pair bonding with my daughter. Males are probably easier to distract though. Hard choice.

Well sweetie, someday you might read this and realize I had it all planed out a long time ago. I hope you recognize that my desire is not to spy on you but only to keep you safe, always. Please don’t stop jogging with the dog.

Categories: Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Post navigation

2 thoughts on “Dogs

  1. Friend

    Hey Riley, you’re going to make a great dad someday 🙂 Just to let you know, I got my dog (a golden retriever) when I was 12 and she was just a puppy. She’s the most beloved member of our family and does a great job protecting us. I don’t think you’ll need to buy a new dog for each daughter- every member of your family will bond with it and in turn it will probably be protective of each member of your family. Also, I recommend females. Less hyper and more loving (from my experience). 🙂

    • D. Riley Rackliffe

      That is valuable advice that I will consider carefully. I think female dogs are generally easier to deal with. I’m afraid I don’t recognize your ip address, may I ask from who comes this useful tip?

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Proudly powered by WordPress Theme: Adventure Journal by Contexture International.