Saturday, June 4, 2011

A Girl and Her Puppy

At the end of March we got a new puppy.  I know, I know ... thousands of families get puppies, and isn't that big of a deal.  Of course, that's true ... mostly.

I say "mostly, " because the puppy has caused our oldest child to think of someone besides herself for a change.  She and the puppy have bonded in a way that I never thought I would see.
  • She feeds him
  • She takes him outside to do his "business"
  • She cleans up said "business," inside or outside the house
  • She plays with him
  • She disciplines him (without going overboard) when he's bad
The puppy is drawn to her - he goes to her when he has to go out, or when he's hungry or just wants to play.

This is an encouraging thing to see, because Big Sister has always been more than a little strong-willed, with a slight hint of bully on the side (when we took the family personality test, she came out as the lion).  Puppy has somewhat changed her attitude for the better, at least for the moment.  She is finally looking outside herself to meet someone else's needs in a very unselfish way.

That is a very big deal.

2 comments:

  1. Looking at the puppy I think your choice of a golden retriever was excellent for what you desired to bring out in your daughter. These dogs are excellent with children, very energetic and playful highly intelligent and trainable. Good luck going forward and the puppy grows into a dog. You should see it become very protective of your daughter.

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  2. I know they're very loyal dogs. We kind of found him accidentally and quickly one Sunday evening. He really has been a wonderful addition to our family.

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