Getting a family dog always sounds like a great idea until one parent puts a foot down. And it's a sure bet that person eventually does all of the vet trips, messy baths and poop scooping. But this dad finally caved to his kids' requests with a genius caveat: the "Family Dog Contract."
The extremely-detailed document excuses Dad from every smelly, dirty and potentially unpleasant possibility and required the agreement (and signatures) of every family member:
This parent definitely drives a hard bargain. No spot on the Christmas card? That's just cold. Even with the "unrestricted veto power," every family member did agree to the terms and the adorable Kershaw became (almost) a member of the family.
Dad just posted the entire saga two years after the fact on Reddit along with this "epilogue:"
We got a three year old white fluffy mutt from a shelter that weighs 15 lbs., was already housetrained and doesn't shed or drool. We named him Kershaw (veto power not exercised). It's been two years, and the kids (now ages 12, 13 and 15) have been pretty good about doing everything. Kershaw eats dry dog food from Trader Joe's, and so far hasn't created any indoor messes that have required the use of harmful cleaning chemicals. Everyone (including Dad) adores the dog, which has been a fantastic addition to (though not member of) our family.
With that happy ending, there's a chance the top commenter's suspicion came true: "Dad considers dog as a member of the family within two years, never admits it." If that's the case, maybe the contract should be considered invalid.
