This isn’t a debate about getting a dog for our new house. Beth and I already have a dog, and we love it dearly. I never had a dog (or a pet, for that matter) growing up – so I never really got to experience the joy, anger and hilariousness that a dog can bring. Our dog’s name is Panda, and she is a Boston Terrier. What’s that? You want to see her photo? Well, okay…

It’s amazing how Panda can do about nineteen bad things that make me want to give her away to the shadiest looking person I see, and then turn around and do one adorable thing that a dog would do and makes me forget how troublesome she can sometimes be. She is very much apart of the family me and Beth are cooking up. And this love we feel for Panda has created a problem. We don’t know what do with Panda on our wedding day.

If you’ve been keeping up with this ongoing article, you’d know that we are getting married in the backyard of our newly purchased but yet to be moved in house. The backyard wedding fits our personality and gives us the opportunity to bring our family and friends together at the house we will dwell in for quite a while. This is where we are having trouble. Panda is a friend. Panda is family. Panda is also a rambunctious Boston Terrier that will not stay out of anybody’s business. We want her to be there, but we don’t want to spend all day making sure she doesn’t get out of the yard, or is bothering people, or decides to take a poop over by the desert table.

I see both sides. I want Panda to be there, too. And I know Beth really, really wants Panda to be there. I guess a solution would be to lock her in a room all day so she is still around, but that seems cruel to do when she will be hearing so much going on outside. Panda also loves other dogs, so I think boarding her for a day at a dog hotel wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for her. She usually forgets that we exist when another dog is around, anyway. We could put her on a leash outside, but then she would just bark a lot.

We haven’t made a ton of decisions about the wedding yet – and this one seems like it might be one of the toughest ones. What do you think, Internet? Please tell me what you would do in the comments. I would greatly appreciate it.

Note – Sorry for the shorter post, and the fact that there will not be “The Suburbs” next week. My family will be on a roller coaster of emotion for the next week. Sadly, my grandma passed away a few days ago. Happily, my brother is getting married this weekend in the Cayman Islands. Look for “The Suburbs” to return May 24.