I've been kicking around some stuff in my head lately and decided that it might be helpful to write down a few thoughts. Mainly, I'm trying to decide if it would be better to find someone new to date, or get a puppy. 2009 has been quite a ride for me so far. My boyfriend and I broke up in January...

When our daughter was in first grade, my husband and I made a classic parenting mistake. With children aged 7 and 4, we decided that our kids were at the right stage in their young lives to get a dog. They had been begging for a dog, praying for a dog, dressing up as dogs and talking about dogs nonstop...