Create-A-Pet: “The Best Dog Ever”

“Mom! Liam has his phone at the table!” Grace cried shrilly in indignation.

Julie glanced across the table at her eldest son. “Honey, you know the rule… Dinner’s supposed to be family time.” She said gently.

Liam rolled his eyes as he returned his phone to his pocket. “You say that like I’m the only one not paying attention…” He glanced at the chair beside him as he spoke.

Mason continued staring off into space, seemingly oblivious to the conversation going on around him.

At the head of the table, Troy leaned forward slightly, smiling. “Hey, anybody home in there, buddy?”

There was no reply.

“Hey, twerp! Dad’s talking to you!” Liam snapped his fingers inches from Mason’s nose. Only then did the little boy finally seem to come back to the present.

“Huh? Oh… Um, sorry… I was kinda distracted.” He muttered, embarrassed.

“Dude, what’s your problem? You’ve been totally out of it all day.”

“I bet he’s thinkin’ ’bout a girrrrrrl!” Grace teased in a whiny, sing-song voice.

“Hey! Am not!” The little boy’s cheeks reddened slightly.

“Are too!”

“Shut up!”

Troy cleared his throat loudly, calling his children’s attention back to him. “Alright, that’s enough.” His voice was kind, but firm.

“I bet I know what it is.” Julie smiled at her son. “You’re thinking about tomorrow, aren’t you?”

Mason nodded eagerly. “I’m so excited! I can’t believe we’re finally getting a dog! We’ve been asking for one for like… ever!”

“Yeah, including me.” Liam sighed. “Took you guys long enough.” He turned toward Mason and Grace for a moment. “Y’know, every single year, I’d ask them for a dog. And instead I wound up with you little twerps instead.”

“Don’t be such a jerk, Liam!” Mason shot at his brother.

This time, Troy seemed to ignore his children’s arguing. “Alright, I have an idea for a fun conversation starter… What kind of dog does everyone think we should look for at the shelter tomorrow?” He smiled warmly at the rest of his family as he spoke.

“I’ve already decided!” Mason told him proudly. “I’ve got it all figured out. Well… mostly figured out, anyway.”

Grace eyed her brother skeptically. “So you’re some kinda dog expert now, huh?”

Mason just smiled at his little sister. “I’ve wanted a dog for forever. I’ve had lots of time to think about it.”

“Well don’t keep us in suspense, honey.” Julie laughed from further down the table. “Let’s hear it.”

Still smiling, Mason closed his eyes.

“Well, at first I was thinking we should get something big and fluffy and goofy… Like one of those big Bernese Mountain dogs.”

“Ooh! That’s a fun one.” His father agreed.

“Yeah, but… then I kinda changed my mind.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Of course you did.”

“So… Golden Retrievers are supposed to be like, the best dogs ever, right?” Mason ignored the comment. “Smart and loyal and lots of fun to play with!”

“Sounds like a Golden to me.” His father agreed.

“But I still really like the idea of the Bernese too… So maybe instead of picking just one, we should find one that’s both!”

“Both?” Grace asked curiously.

“Yeah! Half Bernese Mountain Dog, half Golden Retriever. Like, a mix.”

“So that’s your perfect dog, then?” His little sister continued. “One that’s big and fluffy… And likes to play alot too?”

Mason nodded.

“And golden?”

“Well… My REAL perfect dog would be green.” He confessed.

“Green?!”

“Or actually… probably blue.”

“Hmm… Okay, I like the fluffy. And I like fun to play with…” Grace paused for a moment. “But green and blue? No way!”

Her father smiled at her. “Did you have a different color in mind, Gracie?”

The little girl nodded. “I do! And… I think those other dogs sound way too big.” She turned her attention back to Mason for a moment.

“What are you talking about? They’re not that big!”

“It’s gotta be smaller. So you can pick it up and stuff!” She insisted.

“Oh! And it’s gotta be pink.”

“Pink?!”

“With purple hearts all over it!”

Mason groaned. “That sounds awful!”

“Nooooo, it’s amazing!”

“Pink and purple dogs don’t even exist, dummy.”

Grace stuck her tongue out at him. “Neither do blue ones! This is ‘posed to be my perfect dog, and she can look however I want…” Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “Oh! And she’ll have a big happy poop emoji right on her forehead. HA!”

Grace could not contain her giggles. No one else seemed to find her idea quite as amusing as she did, however. The rest of her family simply sat in silence for a few moments as they waited for her laughter to subside.

At last, Liam was the first to break the silence. “You guys are so freaking lame. No one wants some stupid fluffy thing… Especially not one that’s painted blue or pink or covered in emojis or some sh–”

“Liam! Language!” His father cut him off abruptly.

For a moment, his son appeared genuinely apologetic. “Sorry, sorry… I just… Don’t exactly have the same thing in mind as they do. Like, at all.” He glanced back toward his siblings as he spoke.

“Alright, Liam. I guess you’re up then.” Both his parents eyed him expectantly.

Mason raised an eyebrow at his older brother. “Yeah, what kinda dog do you want?”

“I guess something that’s kinda tough and badass, y’know? Like maybe a Rottweiler or something…”

“That sounds scary…” Grace muttered nervously.

“Nah, not scary.” He assured his sister. “Think of it like a guard dog or something… Ooh! Maybe a Pitbull!” Liam’s eyes lit up. “Those things can be pretty vicious too!”

“I could get behind a Rottie or a Pitbull…” Julie smiled across the table at her son.

“Wait, seriously?”

“Of course! They’re so cute!”

Grace’s ears perked up right away. “Cute?”

Julie laughed. “Yes, cute!” She turned her focus back to Liam. “Honey, you shouldn’t believe all those stereotypes… It all comes down to how well you train your dog. And every dog is different… They all have their own personalities. One of my best friends had a Rottweiler when I was growing up. He was so sweet!”

Liam rolled his eyes, but beside him, Mason leaned forward with interest. “What about Pitbulls?”

“Big, furry cuddle-bugs, from what I’ve seen.”

“Do you remember our old neighbor back in Newcrest?” Troy chimed in. “His Pitbull always wore that sweater in the winter. It was so funny!”

“Yes!” His wife beamed at him. “I loved that. Hey, maybe we could get a sweater for our dog too…

Though I’ve always been partial to smaller dogs myself.” She continued. “Imagine a cute little Chihuahua in a big cozy sweater!”

Liam held his face in his hands for a moment. “You’ve gotta be kidding me…”

“Or a cute little dress!”

“Ooh! Can it be pink?” Grace cried in excitement.

“Of course.” Her mother agreed. “And she’ll need a big pink bow to go with it too… Oh honey, doesn’t that sound like the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen?” Julie asked her husband.

Troy chuckled heartily. “Adorable… Sounds like we’ll have to clear out some room in the closet for our new furry friend.”

“What about you, dad?” Mason called down the table. “You haven’t told us what kinda dog you want yet.”

“Yeah, Troy… Your turn!” Julie smiled.

“I guess I had something a little different in mind from the rest of you.” He confessed. “I wouldn’t mind a big cuddly dog… But maybe one on the older side. Relaxed, a little lazy… The perfect companion for sitting around on the couch and doing a little afternoon reading.” His smile widened.

“Lame…” Liam muttered under his breath, laughing to himself. “Which means it’s the perfect dog for you, dad.”

Troy shook his head, smiling. “Ha-ha…”

“Alright, so when we go to the shelter tomorrow, now we have some ideas of what we should look for.” Mason called happily.

 

“I bet we can find the perfect dog.” He continued. “Something that’ll make everybody happy! He’ll be kinda old and lazy… But he’ll be a great guard dog. He’ll wear a big pink sweater, and he’ll be super soft and fluffy.” The little boy smiled. “Oh! And he’ll be blue. Duh.”

“Sounds perfect to me, kiddo.” His mother replied.

“But don’t forget about the big poop emoji on his head! Hehehehehehehe!”

“Seriously, Grace?”

“What?! You guys are no fun.” The little girl shrugged helplessly.

“We all just need to keep an open mind tomorrow.” Troy told his family gently. “The shelter has so many animals who need good homes. And I’m sure there’s one there that’ll be perfect for our family.”

“You really think so, daddy?” Grace asked.

He nodded. “I do. And I think we’ll all know it when we see it.”

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The animal shelter featured in this story showcase was made by femmeonamission