Joanna Fortune: My family want to get a puppy but I'm not so sure 

You all need to be in the right place to welcome a new family member and it is OK if you don’t feel that you have the capacity to take on any more right now

Joanna Fortune: "You first need to observe your children’s capacity for empathy, kindness, compassion, and responsibility before you can judge their readiness to have a dog."

I’ve been under pressure from my husband and two children for years to get a puppy. Up until now, I’ve said no as I know only too well that I will be the one left with the responsibility of looking after it. 

But now the children are older — 10 and 13 —I’m reconsidering. How can I negotiate with the whole family about sharing the caring load, including the cleaning up?