Here's the thing about kids and dogs: They rule your life.

Mine have controlled my ability, or inability, to have a lunch break for all of my working years.

When I was executive editor at this newspaper in the early '90s, my assistant at the time thought it amusing that I shopped for baby formula for my infant twins on my so-called lunch break.

Lunch was even more challenging when the twins were middle or high school students who always needed rides home from sports or play practice. I would take "lunch" from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and put 35 miles a day on my car driving from work to school to home and back.

Now, lunch is dictated by an energetic 12-week-old puppy, Sydney, who needs a break from the crate at midday. I actually enjoy this. I leave the office, have a 10-minute drive, change from heels to flats, run around the yard for 20 minutes, wolf down yesterday's leftovers from the fridge, and head back.

I can throw a load of wash in the dryer or thaw something for dinner in my 10 minutes of kitchen time ... a whole world of opportunities never experienced before.

That's the thing about kids and dogs. They manage your time in ways you would never dream of otherwise.

They get you up in time to see sunrises, keep you up late enough to watch a full moon setting behind the trees, remind you of how the quiet of the woods feels at 5 a.m. and send you to bed early, exhausted.

And since there's never time to eat a complete meal, dieting is not an issue.

Kids and dogs are a recipe for healthful living.

Sortof.

Just in time for Christmas, we found a puppy to bring into our home.

She is one of a litter of three cocker spaniel/Australian shepherd females acquired last week by Diane's Discount Pets. We "met" her in the pet store Friday night and she was home with us before noon on Saturday.

Trouble is, our family of five can not reach a unanimous opinion on a name.

I liked my son's suggestion of Smidgeon, because the peanut butter and chocolate candy in the form of Christmas trees is a favorite in our house during the holidays. And, we have long considered it a Christmas miracle that our beloved dog Holly survived binging on them as a puppy one Christmas Day when she found an unattended plate on a table.

I thought we could call the new dog "Smidge" for short. But I'm the only one in the family who likes that choice.

On Sunday, one day after we brought her home, we decided on Charlie. A tough, playful Charlie for a female. But as the day wore on, it wasn't working. It didn't seem right to say.

We toyed with Sweetie and Sparkie, because they are names that some of us call everything little and cute. We have listed names from Queenie to Taffy to Daffy and Prancer and Vixen, but none of them are sticking.

So, we call her The Dog.

I named her Winnie on Christmas, but the reception has ranged from lukewarm to "no way."

The debate rages on. So, if you want to have an opinion on naming a really sweet puppy, sound off in the comments.

We'll be checking for suggestions when we're not walking The Dog.