The Best Parent

Good parenting isn’t easy. It requires the parent to be selfless and strong with the discipline. It requires routine.  It requires the knowledge that it really does hurt you more than it does them.  Parenting is hard but it is so important. I truly feel some of us are cut out to do it and others aren’t. The skill to be able to parent effectively is a gift and it isn’t just bestowed upon those with human children. It is also given to the parents of the furry kids as well.

 

My friend Selena was given the gift and needed an outlet for all her parental tendencies and talents. Human children weren’t in the plan so two years ago she adopted Brunswick, a sweet poodle from “the hood”. A year later, Brunswick, who had apparently inherited his mom’s heart, met Theodore in doggie day camp. He heard Theodore had been thrown out of a car, was homeless and then the two became friends. Brunswick begged Selena to let him come home with them. Theo and Brun became brothers and Theo never went back. In addition to the boys, the Inouye household has three cats, one is a new addition recently acquired from the suburban jungle, aka the backyard.

 

Humans, cats and dogs all peacefully co-exist in Selena’s house because Selena is the best kind of pet parent. She acts responsibly by licensing her pets and she never walks them off leash. She also does what all parents should do and that is to raise her kids to be kind and responsible. With fur children, this is done by not only training your pets but taking an interactive role in the training process.  With guidance from her PetSmart trainer, Ashley, Selena works with the pooches to sit, heel and to not beg for food. Selena makes the boys work for treats which reinforces good behaviors.

 

I will admit, in contrast, that I am not the best pet parent. I love my two kids, Beanie and Thor like any parent. However, my two aren’t trained, and beg to the point where I run upstairs and eat behind closed doors to keep them from drooling on me while they beg! Yuck! I have spoiled them to death, good for my heart but bad for them! In my defense, our dogs have a huge backyard and house to roam around in so my ill parenting isn’t inflicted on society at large.

 

None the less, I am in awe of Selena. She works hard to make sure she is raising good kids and her hard work pays off when her dogs are good members of the world they live in. That is what parenting is all about.

 

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