I just returned from spending several days away from my house visiting my in-laws. Whether I am at their house or some other canine free home, I am often struck by how reliant my family has become on our dog. 

My kids are at the age where they are generally pretty careful and rarely have large spills anymore. Usually, though, they leave crumbs in the vicinity of their seats. Fortunately for us, those remnants don’t last long and we almost never have to sweep after a meal. If we give it a minute, our floors (and chairs, if needed) are spotless. Let’s hear it for Logan, our faithful companion.

I cook quite a lot at home and I too have become quite dependent. When I drop something on the floor, I will either need to act quickly and yell “NO!” or, more likely, just realize that she’s ready to do her job. Logan and I have reached an understanding. In exchange for not having to bend over every time I drop something, I am going to lose a few items here or there. It’s the nature of our agreement and we’re both pretty satisfied with the arrangement.

When my family visits someone else’s house, particularly when we stay there, we are struck by how much we actually drop in the course of a day. My daughter’s first instinct — “Logan, come” — doesn’t work at my in-laws. I have to remind my kids that they really do need to pick up what they have dropped. No one is going to do it for them. 

My children can’t imagine a home without a dog in it and neither can I. My husband is somewhat ambivalent about our dog — he’s not really a dog person. Fortunately for us, he’s not much into sweeping either.