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I know I can’t be alone in the surprise pet game we all play at least once with either your spouse, kids, parents or significant other.
If you’ve ever seen the HGTV show “Fixer Upper,” I can best be related to Chip Gaines when it comes to bringing home a new family pet. In fact, it is a good thing we didn’t move to Kentucky and buy a whole bunch of acreage like we originally planned because I would be bringing a new animal home almost every day of the week and surprising my husband with it.
Enter my point. Recently, our family had to say goodbye to one of our family dogs. It was a sad day in our house, and I promised our kids we would get another puppy soon. My husband, however, was not so keen on the idea.
But, this momma made a promise. So, about two weeks ago, when my mother sent me a text showing me a picture of a Great Pyrenees she bumped into in the garden center of Lowes that had just fathered a litter, I knew our puppy had found us and couldn’t wait to go pick her out.
Against my husband’s wishes, and secretly behind his back, I took the kids and we picked out our new little family friend who we brought home and named Alaska.
Oh, my husband looked at me with big eyes at first and a sour expression, but who can resist the little ball of fur known as a Great Pyrenees puppy?
Not only did we get a new puppy to snuggle and smother with love, but convincing my parents they need one as well and then having my mother say, “Well, we can’t take one, we have to have two” was just priceless.
With three new puppies to love, now comes the fun part: puppy training.
Not only that but our family Golden Retriever is less than thrilled with the new pet. Having gotten used to being the only one receiving all the love these last few weeks, Bella only turns her head and ignores her new friend when she wants to play. Hopefully this is a trait she gets over in time when she realizes they are neither going anywhere.
I may not have a farm of animals to love, but I am sure it feels like it to my husband when he counts our two dogs, two cats, six hermit crabs and goldfish in our little suburban house.
The kids even had the nerve to ask him for a hamster, two birds and bunny rabbits this last week after the puppy. That’s a request I think he is still trying to get over and is secretly probably very afraid of me bringing one or two home in the near future.
With his eye on hunting property, he may just need to watch out because I might take an acre or two and secretly start stashing animals there for my farm dream. Then again, maybe not. There are some things even I am smart enough not to mess with.
After all, it’s all about picking your battles, and this battle of a new family puppy is one I am glad I won.

Brittany Fuller is the community editor of The Jessamine Journal and Jessamine Life magazine. She can be reached at brittany.fuller@jessaminejournal.com.