My husband started taking our dog on three-hour walks every night. One night, I checked the GPS collar app and saw the dot blinking at an address across town. I drove there, called him from outside the house, and his phone rang inside. When I pushed the door open, I wasn’t braced for what I’d find.My husband, James, and I’ve been together for nine years.We have two children. A seven-year-old daughter who thinks she’s already a teenager and a five-year-old son who believes he’s a dinosaur. Our life is the usual mix of chaos, half-eaten snacks shoved under couch cushions, and bedtime negotiations that never seemed to end.

So when James started begging for a dog, I said no.Not because I hate dogs. I love dogs. But I already felt like I was running a full-time daycare, a restaurant, and a laundry service all at once. Adding a dog to that equation felt like volunteering for more chaos.”I’ll handle it,” James promised. “Feeding, training, walks. All of it. You won’t have to lift a finger.”I’d heard that before. About the kids’ fish. About the hamster. About literally everything.But he kept pushing. The kids got wind of it and started their campaign. Puppy drawings appeared on the fridge. My daughter wrote a persuasive essay for school titled, “Why My Mom Should Let Us Get a Dog.”