I am not a pet lover. I like animals and I am absolutely against any cruelty towards them. I prefer dogs over cats, BUT I definitely do not want a pet, at least not in the foreseeable future. We had a pet, specifically a beta fish. Some may argue that a fish is not even a pet. We got it several years ago at my nephew’s shark-themed birthday party as a loot bag (pretty cool idea in my opinion). My son named him Leon, and he lived for 4 years with us. We fed him well and my husband even kept him active by “playing” with him. We talked to him. We loved that little guy, but then he died. So yes, we are nuts, but for all intents and purposes, we had a pet.

When I was a kid, I wanted a dog. Every little kid wants a dog, a cat or a rabbit. My grandmother had a dog that we considered ours, but he was a mixed breed that was quite old, and apparently a little dangerous, to the point that we couldn’t interact with him. As a result, we wanted our own dog, and we wanted a German Shepherd… But we didn’t get one.

Now, my kids also want a dog; well, at least the younger one does. My older son gets a little squeamish around dogs now, so I think his thoughts are kind of changing on the whole subject. My little guy and I took a walk the other day, and we saw two dogs. Now during this pandemic, I don’t think dogs are seeing many people so they kind of stared at us, quietly. Personally, I was a little freaked out, but my son saw them as sad. During our 20-minute walk he had decided that he wanted a dog. A white Labrador, like the one he saw, which he was going to name Simon. In fact, he had decided that we were going to buy THAT specific dog and change Chloe’s name to Simon. I explained that we couldn’t do that because Chloe already had a family. I didn’t get into the specifics and say, “Hell no! We are not getting a pet!”

There are various reasons I don’t want a dog. The biggest reason being that owning a dog is a significant responsibility. I can barely handle my children, let alone add another “family member” to the mix. I don’t want a mess in my house (well, any more of a mess than I have now). I don’t want to have to walk or groom the dog, because I already don’t have a second to breathe. I don’t want to have to worry that this dog can one day bite me or my kids. I can understand if it wants to bite my husband… just kidding. But also, I don’t want to become one of those people that loves their pet like it’s a family member, I am not sure I can be. And if I can’t, I’m not sure I need to have pet owner’s guilt compounded on to my already very heavy mom guilt.

Hopefully, you are convinced that I am not an animal hater. To be honest, I am also a tiny bit scared of dogs. So, when I am asked if we can get a dog, or a rabbit, or perhaps one day a snake, I am going to have say it’s a hard pass for me. Non-negotiable. Unless it’s a fish.

Saying no to my kids is hard. Outrageous requests like asking for a dog are easier to say no to. But nowadays during this pandemic, even the most regular asks seem outrageous. Going to the park or visiting their grandparents are heartbreaking requests that I HAVE to say no to. These are tough times and unfortunately disappointment has become too much a part of my children’s everyday routine. As a result, I have been trying to give in every other way possible. If they ask to play for a little longer or play a videogame, or have an extra cookie, I think before I say no. I do sometimes still say no, because when life returns to somewhat normal I don’t want my kids to remind me of the leeway I had given during the pandemic. I want to be laxer with my rules during this time but only to a point that they may not notice. Even with this request for the dog, I had said “We will see one day, but definitely not during this pandemic.” However, I have a feeling that my older son is starting to figure out that “let’s see” is code for NO.