The Next Best Thing

I am allergic to dogs.  Also, I don't want to own a dog.  So there we have two reasons as to why our family will never own a dog.  Unfortunately, my kids are all dying for a dog.  So when a neighbor asked Cat if she would dogsit for her, I thought it would be perfect.  She could experience the joys and work of having a dog without any allergic reactions or long-term commitments.

All in all, I'd say it went really well.  The dog required attention at least twice a day, but three times was preferable, so we had to alter plans here and there, but mostly it was okay.  Cat did a good job of taking care of Cosette, or "Cosie" as we called her.  The other kids loved getting to play with Cosie too and it was actually really nice to send them outside to take her for a walk now and then.  Of course, the novelty of the experience was in my favor.  But it was nice to see that Cat was capable of taking good care of an animal.  Now we know that the dog she plans to adopt when she leaves the nest will be in good hands.