Why I'll never have a pet dog

(Or any other pet for that matter.)

1. It's too cumbersome, troublesome and expensive to clean, feed and train a dog.
2. I have to hit its mouth with a slipper several times to let it know that it cannot bite my shoes, even though it's a teething puppy with itchy gums.
3. It barks incessantly whenever the newspaper vendor arrives every morning.
4. It howls for no reason at all, which sets off the other dogs in the neighbourhood.
5. It requires regular vaccination to keep it everything-free.
6. It guards the house real well - making sure strangers don't pass through without warning us.
7. We sleep well knowing that it's there to cause a ruckus if anyone so much as passes our front gate - better than any advanced alarm system.
8. It wags its tail at us, no matter what. Even after it's taken a beating for being naughty.
9. It looks at us knowingly when we unload our entire day's and heart's nonsense to it.
10. It loves too unconditionally.

Our family's doggie died on Saturday night. It went out for a walk when we accidentally left the gates open, got hit by a car and died of brain injury. Daisy was a beautiful Spitz we picked up from the SPCA. She was the oldest among our 3 dogs, and always spent time grooming our little spaniel puppy Bobby, licking its eyes and ears clean whenever Bobby got into a fight with our other dog Max. A family friend said that Daisy had to go to "replace" the life of another who would have gone otherwise. I hope that she finds peace and happiness, wherever she is.