Boys and Dogs

So I titled my blog raising boys and dogs because I've been thinking about that lately. Two years ago we raised a puppy for Guide Dogs For The Blind. We were handed a rolly black bundle of fur and told we had one year in which to turn her not only into a well behaved dog but also one that they could train to be the eyes for someone. It was a lot of work but sure enough a year and a half later she became the eyes to an amazing lady living in LA. You hear sometimes of people that get dogs as a practise to see if they should have kids. I have never yet met a kid that grew into a responsible, independant, contributer to society in one year. Dog raising is like child raising in fast forward and without the worry of social impact or eternal concequences. I never have worried about my dogs being teased by other dogs, or doing the teasing. I don't worry about my dogs knowing who they are and standing up for what they believe in, I would rather they just except my word as law. I guess that is the challenge of parenting, we want our kids to obey but not to follow the crowd. We want them to not make the mistakes we made but also not protect them them so much that we limit their growth. I only hope that when the time comes to turn them loose in the world I can do so as easily as I did with our Guide Dog puppy, knowing that they are ready and that the world will be a better place for them being in it.