Moving to Coffs Harbour

The next thing that happened was we moved to Coffs Harbour. I started to feel happy inside but what troubled me was getting the cats to settle in. They weren't allowed to be outside for three days but it felt like three weeks! They kept trying to get out. Twice they got out. Once our ten year old cat Pumpkin ran around the neighbourhood, but daddy got her back. But what I found very very sad was Mum nearly changed her mind when the cats kept trying to get out, and was worried that the dog might chase the cats' tail when it wags.

Puppy Sitting

When Mum told me I could have a puppy when we moved to Coffs Harbour, I was so excited, I thought I might burst! Next, Mum decided to try puppy sitting. It was so much fun. We puppy sat a Cockalier (Cocker Spaniel / Cavalier cross) which was 13 weeks old and so cute. When we bought him in, he wee'd on the rug and pooed on the floor. We kind of wished it was the other way round. Mum cleaned up and rolled up the rugs. After that, we played a ball game and the dog won. He kept grabbing the ball and hiding under the coffee table. Mum said he was finding himself a safe place. When it came to the sleeping part, it was a little harder. We knew puppies don't like sleeping on their own, so Mum let me sleep on the floor with the puppy. The dog kept whining and wanting to play. After one hour, he finally fell asleep. In the morning, he woke up at 5 o'clock, but when I got him into the lounge room and tried to play with him, he fell asleep again, so I put him on my knee to watch TV with me.

Are Dogs Better than Cats??

Now my memory of 'How it all started' is slightly different. We have two cats, Bobcat and Pumpkin, and at the time, we were definitely a cat family. So when Holly was asked to write an exposition on 'Are Dogs better than Cats?' then we chose cats. I say we, because homework is a joint effort in our house. Incidentally, I had to ask Holly what an exposition was before I knew what we were doing. Homework is far more complicated than in my day.

Cats are better than dogs because:
1. You don't have to take them for walks
2. You don't have to pick up their poo (they bury it in next door's garden)
3. They look after themselves
4. They are soft and cuddly

And Dogs are not as good as cats because:
1. They lick you
2. You have to take them for a walk every day
3. You have to pick up their poo
4. They are a big responsibility
5. They chew everything
6. They bark a lot and disturb the neighbours

And there it was. Cats are better than Dogs. My daughter was in the minority at school, but she stuck to her guns and got good marks for a well presented argument.

But some of those other expositions must have been very persuasive, and this combined with a best friend who recently got a dog, led to an immediate change of heart on Holly's part and a long slow conversion for me.

How it all started

This all started when I'd just started Year 2. I was doing an exposition on 'Are Dogs better than Cats?' I chose dogs. So, when I got home, I asked if I could have a puppy. Mummy said 'No' at first but when Mum found out how beautiful Coffs Harbour was, Mum and Dad decided to move us to Coffs Harbour. I was very very sad when I heard the news because I had to move away from all my friends, so Mummy finally said if you can show me how responsible you can be, you may have a puppy to help you settle in to our new house.