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A letter to... my dog
She wrote a CV, along with a cover letter detailing her commitment to the job.
The best part? It worked.
‘I have two family dogs already, but my friend sent me a Snapchat of his cousin who is selling some puppies,’ said Kayla, who works as a pizza maker.‘I’ve been wanting one for ages and it’s Christmas , so I finally got the money from working all year and I feel like I’m old enough now to have my own dog and care for it.
‘I live with mum, so at the end of the day it’s her house and her rules and if she doesn’t want a puppy, I won’t be able to get one.
Here’s looking at you. Dogs have three eyelids, an upper lid, a lower lid and the third lid, called a nictitating membrane or “haw,” which helps keep the eye moist and protected.
‘She already said that it wasn’t going to happen, but I didn’t want to give up that easily.
‘I decided that my best chances for her to say yes was if I asked her in a really creative way.’
Creative is definitely the word for it; the CV includes a photo of Kayla, along with her contact detail and a heartfelt cover letter.
‘Dear mummy, I am writing to express my interest in owning my own pet dog, a male Staffy that is nine weeks old, the letter reads.‘I am in the financial and mental state to own this animal. I also possess the abilities and qualifications of an animal owner. I strongly believe I am an excellent candidate for this position.’
Kayla then goes on to list her skills.
The letter reads: ‘I have excellent time management skills – which I believe to be beneficial for training and exercising the dog. I have hella money – enough to cover the costs of this animal.
‘I am your favourite daughter. I solemnly swear on cheesecake and all things holy to take into consideration the time and expenses of owning a pet.
‘My best quality is love and kindness – and I love you a lot. I also love this dog a lot. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider my application, and I hope to hear from you shortly.’
The routine of caring for a pet can bring structure and purpose to daily life. Maybe you don’t always want to get out of bed, but your pet wants you to. Isn’t that a good thing?
We can see why her mum might have had a hard time saying no after receiving this fantastic job application.
In addition to the cover letter, Kayla included a lengthy ‘essay’ with information on how having a puppy could help her mental health and improve her ‘money-handling skills’.
Kayla said: ‘So, I wrote an 800-word essay about statistics on how a puppy would benefit my mental health and also boost my companionship, responsibility and money-handling skills.
‘I made a resume and cover letter as well, just to show her that I’d be well suited for the role of a responsible dog owner.
‘I went to the shops and bought her some lollies as well, just to put her in an even better mood.’
At first, her mum found the situation very humorous and burst out laughing – but she still said no.
However, eventually – after reading the application again – she reconsidered and Kayla finally got her Christmas wish.
Her beautiful puppy, Bandit, arrived shortly after.
Meeting your new puppy, kitten or any other pet can be an exciting experience. Your pet, however, has some adjusting to do. New sights, smells and sounds can be overwhelming for the little guy and keeping a calm household is important.
Kayla said: ‘When she got home, I’d laid out the lollies and my work on the kitchen table, and then I asked her there and then for a puppy.
‘She walked in and saw it and just said “hell no!” and started laughing.
‘I just said but I really want it and asked her to have a look at everything I’d done. She finally gave in. It took a lot of convincing, me just asking her wasn’t really enough so I had to try extra hard.
‘I honestly didn’t expect my idea to work, but figured it was worth a try. Now Bandit has joined our little family and I couldn’t be happier.
‘Everyone has completely fallen in love with him and I’m so happy I had the silly idea to make a resume and cover letter.
‘I’d definitely recommend this to other kids for their parents. It worked on my mum, so you never know – it could work on other people too!’
Take note, people – this is how to get yourself a puppy.
Because, let’s face it, Santa can only do so much.