We met Roscoe on the big truck, along with a host of other dogs at the Sean Casey Animal Rescue adoption event. There was a whole lot of yapping and barking and children (and adults) oohing and ahhing at the multitude of small beasts.

“Is Roscoe here?” OSFO asked.

Sure enough, we found him in one of many cages. And there he was: the dog we would come to cherish. The dog we would rename: Stanley.

The three of us took little Roscoe for a walk. OSFO looked perfectly happy with the  little white dog on a leash. As we walked I ran through all the reasons NOT get a dog. My heart pulsed in anxiety. Should we, shouldn’t we, should we, shouldn’t we?

First and foremost, no pets are allowed in our apartment building.

Yes, folks, that’s a big one for the negative list but hope springs eternal when your daughter has whined and pined for a puppy since she could speak. I knew that a dog would make OSFO unspeakably happy.

Besides, I thought there was, sort of, a  “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” pet policy in our building (or Don’t Ask, Don’t Bark). Tenants have had cats, lizards, gerbils, rabbits, fish and more over the years. Certainly, nobody would make a fuss about such a cute little terrier.

Like I said, hope springs eternal.

Back to our walk, I thought of all the positives: a puppy for OSFO (check), the love and companionship of a dog (check). Just as quickly the negatives popped into my mind: walking a dog three, maybe four times a day. Somehow I knew that the responsibility would fall to me and I’d spend my life nagging OSFO and Hepcat to walk the dog. I’d already been warned by my friend, an experienced dog owner, that kids rarely walk the dog in a sustained, responsible fashion.

I had other concerns, too: What if he’s ill-behaved? What if he’s not house trained? What if he barks? What if, what if?

I’ve never owned a dog in my life and it was a world of unknowns to me. But OSFO and Hepcat were already bonding with little Roscoe on our walk back to the Sean Casey Animal Rescue adoption event.

To be continued…