Thoughts on Having a Dog

We have had our boxer Meg for about six months now.  To be honest there have been many times when I question our decision to get a dog and to get this dog in particular.  Those times usually are when I'm cleaning up the yard after her, when I'm seeing all the dead yellow spots of grass in our yard, when I trip over her in the house because she is completely unaware of where I am moving and how to get out of the way, or when we try to introduce her to strangers and she acts like they are there to hurt her and she slinks away no matter how nice they are.  She really is a weird dog in many aspects, especially out around new people. The constant dog hair all over the place and spots of smeared drool on the furniture don't help her cause either.

However, all those thoughts disappear when I see this:

I put Timmy down for a nap and when I came out to get Brian for his nap, I found these two resting in the sun.  Brian said "Meg is just keeping me warm." It makes my heart melt. 

So Meg has a few undesirable qualities, but for us in our situation right now with little tiny children, I would say the desirable qualities outnumber the bad.  She is the last thing from aggressive, she loves our company, she loves the kids, I don't have to worry about her hurting the kids or them hurting her, and she rarely rarely barks.  I have heard her bark maybe 5 times in the last six months and those times are when she is out in the backyard playing.  She is big enough and fast enough to avoid Timmy if she needs to, yet so gentle back.  At the moment I have concluded that all the negatives are worth it.  Having a dog is worth it. My thoughts may change in the future, but for now I am happy to have her and take care of her.