I was on the phone with my sister the other day. I said something like, "Grrr, Clementine has eaten half my deck!" And Amber (not really a dog person) asked me if I regretted getting Clem. It made me think for a moment. But the answer is Absolutely Not.
Here are the reasons I love my dog.
1. She gives me peace of mind when the kids are outside. Right now Eva and Quinn are playing in their sandbox. I am in the kitchen. I am right next to a window watching them, and they're only about 10 feet away. But I still don't like them to be alone outside. Clementine is a great deterrent to anyone who doesn't belong in our yard.
2. She keeps the bed warm. John has instituted a ironclad "no dog on the bed" policy. But, when he leaves for work very early, she comes up and sleeps with me. Even if she lying on the covers, she still keeps the bed nice and warm.
3. She thinks she's Nana. When the kids are upset she tries to comfort them. This morning Dex was on the floor crying and Clem walked up and started licking his head. When that didn't work, she curled up next to him. He did stop crying - granted he shoved her ear in his mouth.
4. She's a teething toy we won't lose.
5. She has (some) table manners. Today Quinn was walking around the living room with a cookie. Clementine came up and tried to sniff it. Quinn said "No Clem!" and punched her in the nose. She sat down and left him alone. Now, it took Quinn about 15 minutes to desiccate this cookie and Clem didn't snatch it from him. I think that's impressive, even if she did drool all over my couch.
6. She'll give me a great reason to get new furniture every few years.
7. She is very photogenic. At least 80% of the time I'm trying to take pictures of my kids, they won't look at the camera. Clementine loves to get her picture taken :)
8. She's a great vacuum. Enough said.
9. She's introduced me to more of my neighbors. Before this winter, we knew 2 of our neighbors. But, because Clementine was able to jump over the fence this winter, we had dozens of our neighbors ringing our doorbell. She's very social, and she felt the need to visit with every dog in town.
10. She loves us. And she's always happy to see us, even if I only went outside to the mailbox and back.
Now my dog is far from perfect. She has, in fact, chewed up my deck, some shoes, countless toys, one cabinet, and my favorite rug. To my sister this is more than enough reason to never, ever have a dog. But, her puppyhood is passing and she's chewing much less these days. Yes, she does dig giant holes in my yard. Yes, she does slobber when she drinks. And yes, it does really really hurt if she steps on your foot. But how can you look at this dog and not love her?
