The Cuteness Factor

  The "cuteness factor" is simple:  God made puppies cute so it's a lot harder to get mad and/or kill the little buggers for doing the many things they do that truly are bothersome, annoying, or downright bad. The cuteness factor is all part of species survival.

        I'm sure you're wondering how I dare say such a thing but let's be real about the sweet little creatures.  Realistically if you've ever had a puppy -or a baby anything - you know they're pre-programmed to do many things that if another adult human did, you'd probably resort to fistfights as acceptable parts of the resolution process. 
       Oh the agonies of raising babies-any kind.  Late nights; early mornings. Chewed shoes, clothes, remotes, furniture and cars.  Wet spots you know are from the south end of a north-bound puppy; mounds of goo that stick to the shoe and smell bad too.  These are a few of the woes of being a puppy parent and only a few of the reasons I say that the cuteness factor saves lives and thus is the reason puppies (and most baby anything) are so dang cute. 
     One of the first things I tell people who ask me about a puppy is, "Do not be easily deceived by how cute they are!  Cute puppies do some not so cute things and they have NO clue what things are good or bad." It's up to humans to be the guiding light of love and learning for those sharp little teeth and the squirting south end of the north-bound pup. 
     Knowing the scope of care and training required, one can still never account for the many ways in which puppies will test your patience.  They can reduce you to a mass of questioning Jello filled with wonder and amazement that you actually thought you could raise a puppy and have it turn out to be an outstanding adult dog with no problems.  They can take you a on tilt-a-whirl of turmoil, provide tears of joy and pride, and turn you into a hysterical madwoman (or madman) in the blink of an eye. If you really want to experience the gammut of emotions you never thought possible, just get a puppy or have a baby - either will take you through a range of emotions and experiences that lead to understanding the cuteness factor.  
     I'd sort of forgotten what it can be to have a puppy in the house.  It's full of chaos and cuteness.  It's full of responsibility, work; and lost sleep spent taking a pup outside to potty.  It's filled with telling everyone about the latest things the puppy did as if they're your child or grandchild. Laughter abounds as you witness their hysterically funny antics. Great joy fills your sould when they learn a new skill or trick; and love is never greater than when they lavish their puppy kisses on your face while wagging their tails.  Puppy parenting is filled with the hopes of having a superdog - or at least a good dog.  But mostly it's filled with the hope of having that pup grow older with you as your companion, your canine BFF.    Imagine the future of what's yet ahead for us as we continue raising Cinder!

Cheers!
Chris