Don't you just hate it when parents are right?

I mean that question in a purely metaphorical sense, because my parents never actually said "Now, having a dog is a lot of work, honey." (mostly because having a dog was out of the question since my father is apparently dog enemy #1. They'll leave their yards and cross roads just to attempt to bite him).

But I do know a lot of parents who have said those words and yep, they're right. This is day 9 of housesitting, taking care of a friend's cat and dog, and I have to say that the cat is much, much easier to care for. The dog is lovely (big, happy german shephard named Isaiah who happily responds to "Boo"), but he's like a baby. He wakes you up early in the morning, he always wants to play, he won't leave you alone very long, he needs you to pick up after him, and you can't leave him alone very long. Whereas the cat only needs occasional petting and a once-a-day check on his water and food and catbox situation.

I realize now that while I like dogs, I've only ever seen them in short doses -- perhaps a weekend at most. But now that I've had a full week and counting, I'm tired of throwing chew toys, I'm tired of having to wake up early, and I'm tired of having to watch out for dog doo in the backyard.

It's good experience though - it's making me rethink my long-held belief that I'll get a dog when I have my own house. Because, as the parent would say: "dogs are a lot of work."