"We will NEVER get a dog!"

Famous last words huh? I never wanted to submit my children to the heartbreak of the loss of a pet. I was emotionally scarred from the loss of a goldfish (I am not kidding!) and my own dog growing up, so I vowed that no love and responsibility was important enough to put my kids through that same type of loss. Well...I had always thought Shih Tzus were a cute breed and my youngest, D. was beginning Kindergarten. I felt anxiety about my youngest flying the coup so I picked up the phone and responded to an add in the paper. I thought, "they won't have any puppies left", they did. Then I said, "I won't think it is cute", he was. And that was that! Jupiter became a member of our family without me not only consulting my kids, but my husband either! He has turned out to be an almost perfect dog. As I just turned 35, one thing I have learned about myself is that most of my major life decisions I have jumped in with both feet and then look back to evaluate. Sometimes it was a good decision, sometimes not. This one, about Jupiter, was a good decision...today at least.