Four Boys and a....

Here's Reggie, the dog.

Having a dog is a tricky thing. They are really quite a lot of work when they are puppies. And you never know what you are going to get. Kind of like kids. My kids love my dog, a lot. If it weren't for them we probably would have sold Reggie when he was still in that "puppy" stage. I love to see my boys with the dog. David really loves him and when David gets sad, I have noticed he likes to have the dog close by. I had no idea the dog provides him some kind of special companionship. Tyler loves to play (torture) with the dog. Reggie has bitten Tyler on more than one occasion. However, if Reggie has his way, he prefers to sleep with Tyler. Reggie usually sleeps in his kennel at night. Occasionally we forget to shut the door and when this happens, Reggie always goes for Tyler's bed. I think the other kids are a little jealous. Needless to say, Reggie and Tyler have a special relationship as well. Kirk never wanted a dog. I sort of pushed him into it, but I know that he secretly likes Reggie. Reggie is just as excited to see Kirk at the end of the day as the rest of us are. And how can you turn down that kind of devotion? Kirk routinely plays with Reggie every night. I think Ethan and Jacob like Reggie as well. Reggie even signed Ethan's cast. Jacob wants him to sleep downstairs. Sometimes when I send the boys downstairs to get something, I hear them calling Reggie to come with them. They like to have that little dog in tow. I love to see him following my boys around the neighborhood. Every boy should have a dog. I love my dog too. He has been a good addition to the family. He has helped us open doors to conversations with neighbors that otherwise wouldn't have happened. He has helped my boys be less afraid of dogs. They used to jump if they ever heard a dog bark. He has cost us a lot of money (dog food, dog sitting, shots, medications, dog things, getting hit by the mailman, etc), but I think he is worth it.