I am not a dog person. I’ve never been one and I don’t know that I’ll ever truly change in that respect. I have always been very independent in nature and as such I don’t jive well with dependencies. I don’t consider my wife an exception as she is a very independent spirit as well, so we mesh well. I’ve made the exception with my kids (because ya do) but only so far as I’ll allow them to be dependent – I provide for them as a father does, but I expect them to become well-rounded and independent souls as well (in time).
But I’m not a dog person – I’m more of a cat person. Cats tend to be more of a roommate than a dependent companion – they expect to be fed and occasionally pet if you have the time, but otherwise they can manage themselves.
By this point, you are probably wondering where this is all going. Here it is – in spite of my nature, I’m considering getting a dog. And I’m considering this for none of the reasons that one in my position would do so. My dad was never really a dog person either, but he let us have dogs as kids because we asked for them. My kids are not asking for a dog. I’m not even entirely sure my kids (or my house for that matter) is ready for one. My wife had dogs as a kid as well, but she isn’t really much of a dog person either. So it isn’t her that is the motivating factor either – if anything she will see this and try to talk me out of it.
Here is the reason – my nearly 6-year-old son is terrified of dogs. No, this is by no means an attempt to terrorize my child, but rather a potential means to abate these fears. Not long ago, my son was a nearly fearless toddler. And somehow he has transformed into this very fearful kindergartner – he is afraid of dogs, storms, the dark, water deeper than his waist without an immediate exit strategy, movie theaters, and anything that makes scary or foreboding noises, music or sound effects. Most of these are avoidable elements (to a degree), but the dog fear has been recently having palpable impact on things such as play dates, visits to extended family, and even activities such as walking to school or playing at a park.
Is getting a dog simply to help my son overcome his fear of dogs perhaps overzealous? I’ll admit the possibility. I’ll even admit that I’m reluctant to enact it, that my wife will likely disagree with it, and that to do so would guarantee that I would be put in charge of its care (thus accepting yet another dependency). But part of me feels that it may be a sacrifice worth making for the improvement of my son’s own independence and well-being in the long run.
So while I’m not a dog person, I may soon force myself to be one…at least for the greater good.
This might more than backfire and make him even afraid to come home. Seems to me that waiting out this fear a year or two might be prudent. Considering as you say…the kids are not begging for one and neither you or spouse are excited about the idea. It does not seem fair to the dog. Don’t you have any friends with a non threatening dog that you could just visit?
Well I wouldn’t plan to introduce a giant dog to the family – I’d get a puppy, something he wouldn’t think to be afraid of. But I’d get a puppy of some type of dog that will grow to at least a medium-sized dog so that he can ‘grow’ with it and be acclimated to it by the time it is bigger.