"Would you rather have a mansion or Stevie?" my son asks in yet another round of the kids' favorite car game.
Bad timing, I think as I look back to see eight eager eyes awaiting my answer. We were on our way home from Strands beach where I had spent the afternoon coveting the row of $10 million oceanfront mansions — my favorite of the seven deadly sins. I sighed at the vision of my top pick: a Cape Cod with tan shingles, an infinity pool, and panoramic, ocean views.
PHOTO COURTESY STOCK.XCHNG
To be fair, I then channeled a brief image of our dog Stevie's crooked-teethed, matted-furred, crusty face. How much could I love something that sniffed all our company's crotches, regarded the doorbell as his signal for escape, and doubled our vacation budget in pet-sitting fees? Ugh. This couldn't end well.
"I don't know, kids, what would you pick?" I deflected, already knowing.
A dog like Stevie was all they'd ever wanted. It was me who had said no for twelve years, assuring them they could own 75 dogs for all I cared once they had a roof of their own. And then I got a phone call.
About a year ago, a television producer friend reached out asking for a favor. They were looking for an "all-American family" to be in a new pilot called "The Family Dog." Under the promise the show would never air and they'd provide a stipend enough to make it worth our while, I conceded, not fully actualizing that we might END UP WITH A DOG.
But you can't haul in five furry friends from rescue shelters to play Bachelor-esque match-making games with your kids for a week and expect not to end with a four-legged addition to your Christmas card photo. D'oh...
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Cracking Up: Would you rather ...? - OC Moms - The Orange County Register
