Martin Burns is not a betting man, but he would bet his family’s home on his latest hunch. What hunch was that? It was that he was going to be the only family member to take care of the dog that they just adopted. For months his kids were pleading with him and his wife to get a dog. His kids are seven and five years old. So if they did get a dog he knew he would be the one taking the dog out at night for a walk. Whenever Martin’s kids would bring up the idea of adopting a dog, he would ask them what they would do to take care of said dog. Their responses made him chuckle
Will They Get A New Pet?
“I promise to feed the dog every day.” “Dad, I will walk the dog at any time of the day, no matter the weather!” “I will give the dog a bath every Saturday!” These phrases and more were non-stop in the Burns home. Martin would send a wry smile to his wife when their kids would profess their work ethic when it came to taking care of the family dog.
One night after the kids went to bed, Debbie, Martin’s wife, would pick up where their kids left off and plead to him about getting a dog. Debbie had more of an influence on him about making big decisions over his kids. After a few more nights of discussion, the Burns Family was going to get a dog. The next morning the kids erupted with joy as they finally got their wish. They were going to adopt a dog! Even though Martin was happy for his family, he knew that all the responsibilities would fall solely on him. He told himself that this is what dads do! They try to make their family happy any way they can.
Martin Wishes He Made That Bet
As Martin stood by a tree in the pouring rain, he could only let out a small laugh as he was waiting for Harry, his dog, to go to the bathroom. He must have laughed a bit louder than he thought because his neighbor said, “You knew this would happen once you got your dog, right?” Martin turned around to see his good friend and neighbor, Philip, walking his two dogs in the crappy weather. Martin didn’t know if his sigh could be used as a yes, but the nod from his neighbor let him know it worked.
The two neighbors at least were able to talk in the rain while the dogs were doing their business. As Martin was walking home soaking wet, he did feel a bit better talking to Philip. Martin couldn’t vent to his wife or kids about taking care of the dog since his kids are too young to walk the dog late at night. Plus, he would feel like a jerk if he had his wife walk their dog on nights like this. He still wanted to share his feelings about the ordeal. So after he took a shower and put on drier clothes he created a Facebook group only for dads who bear the burden of taking care of the family pet.
Family, Friends & Pets
Today, Martin’s Dads Taking Care Of Pets Facebook group has over fifty members. Most of the chat is memes and dad jokes with some complaining posts sprinkled in from time to time. One of the best parts of creating this “support group” is that if Martin or other dads have a wild and crazy experience taking care of their pets, it opens up the possibility of creating a fantastic post in that group. Deep down Martin was happy that his family adopted Harry because he loves his dog, but he is thankful for all the dads he became friends with over the group he started!