You're allowed to change your mind (again)

Saying yes to being wishy-washy!

For nearly seven years, my husband and I were firmly anti-pet. We had our reasons: pets are too much work, they make your house smell weird, and they require a level of consistency we weren’t interested in offering. We even swore our future kids wouldn’t have pets either.

“Never ever,” we’d say with a laugh. And we meant it.

Then we met our baby boy.

An eight-week-old stray puppy was found hiding under a car in the blazing Texas sun. He was brought to the nearest emergency vet clinic where, serendipitously, my sister happens to be a veterinarian.

Usually, healthy animals aren’t treated at emergency hospitals, but they made an exception. He would stay temporarily before being transferred to a shelter for adoption.

My sister sent us a photo of him—tiny, wide-eyed, and nameless. My husband and I looked at the picture, then at each other, and in that unspoken moment, we just knew. There was no logic or debate. Just certainty.

“We want him!” I texted back immediately.

She thought we’d lost our mi…