Dogs

Ever since he was a year old, Thumper has loved dogs. He makes a beeline for every dog he sees, yelling, "Can I pet that dog?" at the owners. At the playground on Sunday, he convinced the owners of an ancient, wheezy pug named Maya to let him hold the leash. She agreeably limped around the playground with him. He had a conversation with a mom on the other side in which he gave her the impression it was his dog, telling her what the dog's name was, how old she was, and that she pants like that because she's old. I have known for a long time the inevitability of the question, "Can I have a dog?"

This morning, we had the following conversation:

"What kind of bug is that?"

"Some people call them roly-polies. Some people call them doodle bugs. I think some people call them potato bugs, too, but I could be wrong about that one. When I was a kid, we called them roly-polies. They're called that because they roll up into a ball when you touch them."

"What's a poly?"

"Nothing. I think it's just because it rhymes with roly."

"Yeah, it does rhyme. I hope it's not slimy."

"It's not."

"I don't want to have a snail for a pet."

"Yeah, I think a snail would be a boring pet."

"I would like to have a dog for a pet. I like my two cats a lot, but I like dogs, too."

"I know you do. Dogs are lot of work, though."

"Why?"

"Because they don't use a litter box inside like cats do. They go to the bathroom outside, but you still have to clean it up."

"I am definitely not cleaning it up."

"They poop on the ground, and you don't want someone to step in it, so you have to pick it up."

"Well, maybe I'll just have two cats, then."

I am amazed that the question was resolved so easily. I bet it comes back up again some day, though.