Our family welcomed a dog into our ranks two months ago, and believe me when I tell you, it has been a journey.

Kevin, named after our younger son’s kindergarten teacher (as well as the lead characters from Home Alone and The Wonder Years), is a white lab whom we picked up from a farm west of Sydney when he was eight weeks old. He was born with a short tail that has a hairless patch, and when the breeders relayed this information, I was the opposite of dismayed. We are big on scars in this family, on having A Thing. Kevin’s tail is his Thing.

Some more of Kevin’s things include retributive peeing, assaulting my shoulders while I take baths, and nipping the children until they cry.

Read the rest over at Mockingbird!