For Want of a Puppy
So I promised yesterday that I would reveal to you more about the story I wrote this past month. No, I'm not talking about "Becoming Prince Charming", this is a different story.
This story is for the dogs. Literally.
What does that mean? A couple of things actually.
First, my children, like many their ages, are totally in love with dogs of all shapes and sizes. When my daughter (18 months) sees any dog she looks at me with a big smile, "Mine puppy?" The heartbreak when I say, "No, sweetie, that's someone else's puppy" is nigh unto unbearable! It makes it tempting to just run to the pet shop and find her a puppy then and there. When my son (3 years) sees a dog, he looks and me and says, "Mommy, can we have a puppy today?" To which I always have to reply no, despite those pleading blue eyes and perfect pout. It's tough stuff, I'm telling you!
My sweetie and I have already decided that yes, we are going to get the kiddos a dog. But we don't want to just hand it to them. Even though they are young, we want them to learn that you have to work for the things you want in life. And a puppy or even adult dog is a LOT of work! So there are certain steps that they have to take to show us that they have earned a dog.
And we'll be helping them out. They have a jar for holding all the coins they save for their Corgi (the type of dog we're getting). Any coins they find on the floor or that they earn for extra chores can be put in that jar. The only backfire was when I caught them dumping out my "Date Night" coin jar on the floor. Imagine totally adorable little faces looking at you and saying, "Look at all the coins on the floor, Mommy! We put them in the Corgi jar, please?" I let them keep a few and then they had to put the rest back in my jar. They're also learning that they have to keep their room clean and their toys picked up so a puppy can be safe. They're learning to be gentle with each other and with animals so our puppy will feel loved.
But there just aren't a whole lot of coins floating around our house. My husband and I are saving money for the dog too in ratio with the money we pay to our debts. Gotta get rid of the debt monsters (or at least take a good chunk out of them) before we can be financially ready to support a puppy. We have an envelope in our safe with cash we've saved and we give the kiddos some of the leftover change after grocery shopping. But it's still slow going.
That's where the story comes into play. But before I tell you about it, let me tell you the second reason this story is literally for the dogs. Thousands of dogs and cats are in shelters and rescues around the country wishing they had a loving home. As my sweetie and I were starting our research into where we wanted to get a dog, we both decided that a "rescue" dog would fit our family and personalities best. We have no interest in having a show dog (though if you do that's totally fine). We just want a dog that our kiddos can love, that we can love and that will be a good companion. A rescue dog would fit the bill perfectly, save a good dog from loneliness and possible euthanasia and be easier on our budget. It's a win-win situation! So then we started looking at Corgi rescues because I have been in love with those foxy little dogs forever! And since they are a relatively small dog, my non-dog sweetie was easier to persuade.
We discovered Corgi Connection of Kansas. I immediately fell in love because it's a local rescue, they specialize in Corgis and they are doing what they can to help these great dogs find fur-ever homes. My heart has been touched by the stories they've shared and my kiddos love looking at the dogs they have available. Once the funds are available, and we find the Corgi perfect for our family, it is our intention to adopt from them. The story (that I promise I'm going to tell you about), will not only go to save up for our own dog, but a portion of the profits will be donated to Corgi Connection of Kansas to help them continue to help dogs in need.
So now, the moment you've been waiting for: What is this story about?
The story, which I'm calling "Mommy, Can I Have a Puppy Today?" is the journey a little boy takes to prepare himself to get a dog of his own. Like my kiddos, he has to learn to save his money, to keep his room cleaned and to take care of a dog. The story is meant for young children like mine who desperately want a dog (or really any pet) and need to learn the steps to take in order to meet their goal. Right now, the story has been submitted to my amazing illustrator, James Schofield (if you've read my book, Mischief, Mayhem and NOT Burning the House Down that name will be familiar to you). We are shooting for a summer release date, but until I hear back from him I can't give a definite time-table. But certainly this summer, the dog-lover in your family should be eagerly awaiting this fun little story. And if you, like me, love Corgis, the ending will be particularly good. :)
So that's the big secret. "Mommy Can I Have a Puppy Today?" will be released sometime this summer. And now you know why this book is literally for the dogs.
This story is for the dogs. Literally.
What does that mean? A couple of things actually.
First, my children, like many their ages, are totally in love with dogs of all shapes and sizes. When my daughter (18 months) sees any dog she looks at me with a big smile, "Mine puppy?" The heartbreak when I say, "No, sweetie, that's someone else's puppy" is nigh unto unbearable! It makes it tempting to just run to the pet shop and find her a puppy then and there. When my son (3 years) sees a dog, he looks and me and says, "Mommy, can we have a puppy today?" To which I always have to reply no, despite those pleading blue eyes and perfect pout. It's tough stuff, I'm telling you!
My sweetie and I have already decided that yes, we are going to get the kiddos a dog. But we don't want to just hand it to them. Even though they are young, we want them to learn that you have to work for the things you want in life. And a puppy or even adult dog is a LOT of work! So there are certain steps that they have to take to show us that they have earned a dog.
And we'll be helping them out. They have a jar for holding all the coins they save for their Corgi (the type of dog we're getting). Any coins they find on the floor or that they earn for extra chores can be put in that jar. The only backfire was when I caught them dumping out my "Date Night" coin jar on the floor. Imagine totally adorable little faces looking at you and saying, "Look at all the coins on the floor, Mommy! We put them in the Corgi jar, please?" I let them keep a few and then they had to put the rest back in my jar. They're also learning that they have to keep their room clean and their toys picked up so a puppy can be safe. They're learning to be gentle with each other and with animals so our puppy will feel loved.
But there just aren't a whole lot of coins floating around our house. My husband and I are saving money for the dog too in ratio with the money we pay to our debts. Gotta get rid of the debt monsters (or at least take a good chunk out of them) before we can be financially ready to support a puppy. We have an envelope in our safe with cash we've saved and we give the kiddos some of the leftover change after grocery shopping. But it's still slow going.
That's where the story comes into play. But before I tell you about it, let me tell you the second reason this story is literally for the dogs. Thousands of dogs and cats are in shelters and rescues around the country wishing they had a loving home. As my sweetie and I were starting our research into where we wanted to get a dog, we both decided that a "rescue" dog would fit our family and personalities best. We have no interest in having a show dog (though if you do that's totally fine). We just want a dog that our kiddos can love, that we can love and that will be a good companion. A rescue dog would fit the bill perfectly, save a good dog from loneliness and possible euthanasia and be easier on our budget. It's a win-win situation! So then we started looking at Corgi rescues because I have been in love with those foxy little dogs forever! And since they are a relatively small dog, my non-dog sweetie was easier to persuade.
We discovered Corgi Connection of Kansas. I immediately fell in love because it's a local rescue, they specialize in Corgis and they are doing what they can to help these great dogs find fur-ever homes. My heart has been touched by the stories they've shared and my kiddos love looking at the dogs they have available. Once the funds are available, and we find the Corgi perfect for our family, it is our intention to adopt from them. The story (that I promise I'm going to tell you about), will not only go to save up for our own dog, but a portion of the profits will be donated to Corgi Connection of Kansas to help them continue to help dogs in need.
So now, the moment you've been waiting for: What is this story about?
The story, which I'm calling "Mommy, Can I Have a Puppy Today?" is the journey a little boy takes to prepare himself to get a dog of his own. Like my kiddos, he has to learn to save his money, to keep his room cleaned and to take care of a dog. The story is meant for young children like mine who desperately want a dog (or really any pet) and need to learn the steps to take in order to meet their goal. Right now, the story has been submitted to my amazing illustrator, James Schofield (if you've read my book, Mischief, Mayhem and NOT Burning the House Down that name will be familiar to you). We are shooting for a summer release date, but until I hear back from him I can't give a definite time-table. But certainly this summer, the dog-lover in your family should be eagerly awaiting this fun little story. And if you, like me, love Corgis, the ending will be particularly good. :)
So that's the big secret. "Mommy Can I Have a Puppy Today?" will be released sometime this summer. And now you know why this book is literally for the dogs.
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