There is something that I absolutely must get out of my head.
I WANT A DOG. I REALLY, REALLY WANT A DOG.
Yes, they are cute when they're puppies, but then they grow up. Yes, they require long walks and baths and feeding and picking up poop and grooming. Yes, yes, yes. I'm not 8 years old; I am 21. I am capable of all of those things, if they are written on my schedule board and part of my everyday life. The cute little puppy stage is great, but what I really want is a companion.
I want to go for long walks, twice a day, everyday. I want to sit on the floor and read with him. I want to work hard to teach him sit, stay, wait, okay. I want to socialize him with other dogs from day 1. For the next 10 years, I will have a best friend. MY dog. I will care for him because he will care for me. People don't make any sense sometimes, but animals always do.
I've NEVER asked for a dog until a few months ago, when the answer was, "No way, not in my house. Do whatever you want when you move out." Okay, but in the foreseeable future, I won't be moving out, because I go from "hanging in there" to "completely disfucntional" when I'm alone for any period of time. Living on my own is not an option. It almost feels like I'm being punished for not being able to live on my own yet. Given that I do the vacuuming and cleaning, the shedding issue should be, well, a non-issue. I would not get the dog until I have a steady job, so the food and vet bill will be entirely on me. I will walk him and brush him daily. So why, WHY, is it so horrible to have a dog in the house? It would certainly mean one much less monster-feeling, sometimes monster-acting, daugther.
I'm trying so, so, so hard to contain myself and not even bring it up to my mom. But being home all day, everday, by myself doesn't help, because I do get lonely here. I don't know if I can keep myself from exploding it until I move out. Sometimes, it causes IT (er, see previous post?) to start coming out, because I just can't keep it in. But mom said no, and no means no. I need to be patient. Being patient has NEVER been so hard.
So, now that YOU are convinced that I should have a dog... well, that gets me nowhere. I'm trying to stay busy by attempting to clicker-train my cat :)
Aww, I feel bad for you - I think you should have a dog too. Did you ask your mom why she said no? Can you get a therapist or doctor to suggest it to her? Dogs make great therapy pets. Maybe you could print out studies and stories of how dogs have helped calm people with autism. It might not hurt to ask one more time.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean by being alone all day in the house, gets boring and lonely huh? Sure does.
Hang in there...
Kate
Thanks for stopping by, Kate!
ReplyDeleteWhen I asked in May, she said "bring it up in 6 months." I'm trying so hard to be mature and wait until November. But as of November, I will be armed with information and proof as to why this is a good idea, believe me! And yes, my therapist could probably be convinced to suggest it ;)
Your blog is beautiful. Thank you--I found you through Jess.
ReplyDeleteI think convincing the therapist to suggest the dog is truly brilliant. They are wonderful therapy pets and great companions.
I love cats and dogs too.
oh, and p.s. there are dogs that don't shed--a lot of them!
I'm supporting your petition for a dog too. We have a companion school flunkie who is wonderful. If you apply for a therapy dog and dialogue with a local agency, maybe your mom would start to see what services the dog performs for both of you!
ReplyDeleteHave you maybe thought about a service dog? some people say their just for kids but they're not I'm proof of that. I'm getting one in late august early september and I'm eighteen going on nineteen with aspergers syndrome, and various anxiety disorders.
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