The Dog at the Party

I fall into the category most often referred to as an ambivert. While I love opening up my home and entertaining; there are many days where I’d rather curl up on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea. This can make social gatherings rather uncomfortable because I eagerly agreed during a sociable moment but by the time the party comes around, I’d really rather do anything but interact with other humans. Fortunately, I have found a brilliant solution to this dilemma: the dog at the party.

Chewy likes to push me over to sit in my lap. I don’t discourage him.

The dog at the party provides the perfect way out for anyone feeling overwhelmed, isolated, burnt out or just in need of a break. People require at least an attempt at conversation whereas dogs require nothing more than an ear scratch or belly rub and the occasional dropped snack. Need a conversation starter? You can discuss how ridiculously cute the dog sitting in your lap happens to be. Need to extricate yourself from a conversation that you’re bored with? Oops, looks like I should take the dog outside for a moment. You can even just sit on the couch and pet a dog and you’ll still be having a good time!

Baby Wallace passed out at a Saint Patrick’s Day party last year

Any parties at my house come with the open invite to bring both children and dogs. My reasoning for this is two-fold. First…