If you give a girl a dog, you'll give her another sibling The dog will eat with the family (just underneath the table patiently waiting for crumbs to fall), tackle her friends with her when they ring the doorbell (just in more of a jump all over their new pants and leave paw prints kinda way), and fight over toys with her (just in a give me back my slobber caked tennis ball kinda way).

If you give a girl a dog, you'll give her someone who will always love her more than she could ever love herself. Her dog really doesn't care if she didn't roll out of bed in time to apply an extra coat of mascara, or if she's a tad grumpy because she didn't have her cup of Pike's Place in the morning.

If you give a girl a dog, she's bound to turn her into a diva. Whether it's the pink collar she needs to sport, or the girly purple dog sweater that's a must for this fashion season, you're bound to have another princess on your hands.

If you give a girl a dog, the dog may not be her whole life, but it will certainly make her whole. If ever there is a break, a crack, or a void in her heart, her dog will surely be the one to fix it, mend it, and fill it.

If you give a girl a dog, you'll teach her to trust. As the girl grows older, she'll run out the door to hop in the car with her friends. At the end of the night when she walks back in the door, her most faithful life long friend who patiently trusted she would return will jump up and greet her.

If you give a girl a dog, you'll give her the loudest cheerleader she could ever possibly have. No one else will cheer her on when she comes in the door after a long, hard day. No one that is except for her most high pitched barking friend.

If you give a girl a dog, you'll give her a headache. Nothing beats someone leaving the garage door up, the dog escaping, and the girl spending countless hours driving around town to find her.

If you give a girl a dog, you'll teach her protection. Not only will the dog run to her defense, but she will run to the dog's (particularly when her brother is two years old and tries to ride the Mini-Schnauzer).

If you give a girl a dog, you'll teach her persuasion. She'll beg and plead ceaselessly for the dog to be allowed up on the furniture "just this one time," or to sleep upstairs in her bed with her "just this one time."

If you give a girl a dog, you'll teach her the passing of time. The dog who once perked at the phrase "let's go for a walk" will now struggle to climb up a couple of steps. She may not be the young pup she once was, but she still has the same soul.

If you give a girl a dog, you'll regret it at times. Perhaps it's when the girl leaves an entire 15 oz. bag of M&M's out and the dog eats them, vomits them, and continues to live on in spite of them (true story... several times). But, if you give a girl a dog you'll soon realize that you gave her a fellow sister, a best friend, a shoulder to cry on, a smile on a rainy day, a life long companion, and her trusty partner in crime. As time passes, your love for her dog grows, you'll realize that as it turns out, you also gave yourself another child.