Ugh Pugs

Clare has been wanting a puppy for the last year. Our dog, Molly, really isn't a great dog. She's kind of like a stuffed animal that eats and has to go to the bathroom. It's not that she's not wonderful, she's just not the right fit for our family. But if you adopt a dog and give her a second chance, you're committed for the long haul, right? Even if she hides 231/2 hours a day under the sink and shivers in fear each time you walk in the room. Anyway, poor Clare needs a four legged friend to love her back, when she's trying to hard to be lovable. So, puppy has been on the tip of her tongue for most of her life now. Recently she's been very specific with her request, requesting not just any puppy but a Pug (my word they are cute). Mason and I have researched the breed, looked at the logistics of bringing another life into the house, and decided this is a reasonable dog for her to set her sites on. (I should note here that we never 'priced one out'). Since I do not want to bring another thing into the house that is my responsibility, I've told her that she must make sure to help take care of Molly every day in order for Santa to seriously look at getting her a pug puppy for Christmas next year. Her new job each day is to feed Molly, which is going very well. I am now counting on the fact that she'll get bored with it. After listening to her tell yet another person that Santa is bringing her a Pug for Christmas, and this person responding with how she has had Pugs all of her life and they're so wonderful....lalalalala...squeal...lalalala...yay....I decided to look for breeders in Alabama. Whew, we have a few thank goodness. At that moment, I also decided to price them out; you know with the whole five year old birthday Disney World trip and all in October, I might want to go ahead and put a little money aside for the precious little bundle of Christmas present. HOLY CRAP! Rarely, and I mean R-A-R-E-L-Y, does the price of something take my breath away. This took my breath away, literally. I was thinking a couple of hundred dollars, maybe five hundred at the max, but no! In order to get Clare a puppy from a reputable breeder and not a puppy farm it's going to cost us around two thousand dollars all told. I felt a little sick to my stomach. I still feel a little sick to my stomach. Like I said, I'm kind of hoping the feeding the dog thing peters out because I need a reason to get her an off brand puppy...you know the cute ones at the pound that cost $75 dollars. Bet you that I won't be reminding her every day to feed Molly. I might actually start feeding Molly before she wakes up just to stunt her little Christmas dream, "I'm sorry Clare, Molly doesn't eat any more either." If that doesn't work, I'm starting the Christmas fund. Don't be surprised when you see me standing at the end of the interstate exit with a jar and a sign that doesn't ask for food, but shows a graph of how much I have left to collect. Oh and all of you Pug owners out there, if you see a four year old little girl coming and asking you questions about Pugs please tell her they're mean little bitey things and that she needs a mutt instead. Thank you in advance!