Bring The Whole Animal House With You

(My family arrives at our local animal shelter that has a big glass front. I see the inside volunteers watching my family pile out, including my wife, my eight-year-old twins, and one-year-old daughter. Then their eyes lock on me carrying our dog, Rocky. Their gaze follows me the entire way up the walkway and as we enter the building.)

Volunteer: “Can I help you folks with anything?”

Wife: “Yes, ma’am. We would like to see your cats, please.”

(She shows us to the cats and my kids go nuts trying to find the perfect cat. The whole while, Rocky is trying to break loose and the other volunteers are shooting hateful looks at me. Finally the kids settle on a young adult black cat. She is young enough that she won’t be cranky, but old enough that the baby won’t hurt her. The kids look at me and back away. I set Rocky down in front of the cat, Boo, and they seem to be okay with each other.)

Me: “Okay, looks good to me. We’ll take her home!”

(The volunteer helping us looks puzzled.)

Volunteer: “Why did you bring your dog?”

Me: “Why wouldn’t I? He lives in the house, too. Wouldn’t want to bring someone home he didn’t approve of as well.”

Volunteer: “That’s brilliant! Sir, we all thought you brought him here to dump him, and for some reason brought your kids. Then we thought you were going to ‘trade’ him for a cat. Nobody has ever thought to bring their other pets in to make sure they get along with a new adoption.”

(We brought Boo home, and after a short adjustment period she’s just as much a part of our family as Rocky is.)

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