puppy dog eyes

Ben LOVES dogs!

He's drawn to any stranger walking a dog.  He has numerous stuffed animal dogs, each one named... Grady, Toby, Rocket, Alex, Murphy, Mommy Dog, Jake, Jake and Jake (apparently, he likes the name Jake).  He fell in love with a big yellow lab named Grady, belonging to Jen's Aunt and Uncle.  If you spend any time talking to Ben, it will often involve cars, trucks, tires or dogs.

For a few years, there has been talk in our home about Ben having a dog of his own.  Dogs are often good companions for children with disabilities and images of Ben curled up with a loving patient dog were tempting.

However, with four kids, don't we already have enough living things to feed and care for?  That's been my take on it, anyway.  But, then again, I'm not a dog guy.  I was mauled (well, it seemed like it, anyway) by a pair of German Shepherds at my bus stop around about first grade, and I haven't had much use for canines since.

Jen, on the other hand, grew up with various family dogs.  She has wanted a family dog, and she has led most of the talk of Ben having a dog.  I admit, though, to some moments of weakness, but I quickly came to my senses... well... until recently.

A part of me wondered what it would be like to have a family dog.  I have agreed for some time that Ben should have a dog.  But, I have no tolerance for pet hair and I continued to put my wishes of not having a dog over Ben's wishes to have a dog.

Recently, Jen made the comment that Ben feels like a kid who is not complete without a dog and I could not argue with that.  His birthday was in September, and he asked for... you guessed it... a dog!

We had already done some dog research here and there.  So, we started looking again in earnest to decide which dog MIGHT be suited for our family (I was still not committed fully).  The criteria for a dog to pass was as follows:

• 6 people in about 1600 square feet... can't be a big dog
• 2 kids with asthma... hypoallergenic
• Dad can't stand pet hair... non-shedding
• Benny can be rough... durable small to medium dog

We decided on a Havanese.  They are a non-shedding, hypoallergenic breed that is on the larger end of the small breed group.  They are more durable than many of the small breeds.  Full-grown, they are about 12-15 pounds.

The Saturday before Ben's birthday, I told him we were going to go "visit" some puppies.  I wanted to leave myself an out, and Benny is obsessive about things, so I couldn't tell him we "might get a dog".  We went to visit some Havanese pups and we came home with... Cecil!

The moment we told Ben "Happy Birthday, this is your dog!"  Cecil looks pretty unsure!

The first week home

Cecil current... 4 1/2 months old

The verdict is still out on Cecil.  Lily loves him.  Of the two older boys, one is fairly indifferent to him and the other has little use for him.  Benny loves him, but instead of calming him, it has had the opposite effect.  Cecil makes him more hyper.  He runs around the house, chases him, pulls his tail, and picks him up in ways that Cecil does not like.  The poor little pup tries hard to be patient, but the two just aren't hitting it off.  Cecil sometimes loses his patience with Benny and growls or nips at him.  We are afraid one, or both, of them may get hurt.  The warm fuzzy images of a boy and his dog are just not happening yet.

I am hoping it gets better when we get through puppyhood.  I am hoping we don't regret Cecil.  He's a cute little guy and I have my moments of finding him irresistible... but they are mixed with moments of finding him frustrating.  For a guy who was definitely not a dog guy, though, Cecil has managed to somewhat change my opinion of dogs.  After all, how could you resist a face like that?