My son has not been doing well in school.  (Anger problems and getting into trouble.)  This year just feels worse than usual, although, really, thinking back on it, maybe it's just more of the same.  But he gets in fights in school and has to go to the time out room.  It is very frustrating getting calls and letters and emails from the school.  My husband is not one for patience either.  The good news:  I really felt that getting a new dog would help.  (Our other dog died 2 years ago this past Saturday and it was really hard on me and our family.)  She was 7 already when D came to live with us.  She really helped him get comfortable in our home.  He is so good with animals (just not as good with people.)  So I just felt he needed a buddy.  He is our only child and that makes it difficult sometimes.  And my husband has been stuck in the house with the cold weather (he likes to garden and do outdoors stuff.)  So I figured getting a dog would help him too by forcing him to take it for walks, etc.  Anyway, we got a new puppy this past Saturday.  A 7 month old Gordon Setter, female.  My son is so happy.  She chases him all over the house and he is just laughing and she is licking his face.  He has been taking her out for walks and playing with her.  So hopefully, this will help him to be happy and calm him down some and give him some responsibility, which is a good thing.  She is just such a love!  Very sweet, very affectionate and pretty smart.  A lot of work.  But this is good as my son is now a part of this from the beginning- picking out, training and raising a puppy.