A New Adventure
Our new adventure starts here
My friend’s pug recently had pups. 5 beautifully teeny tiny little pugles, as I call them. I jokingly decided I wanted one. I even named it. Its called Mouse, in case you are wondering. I told Husband about Mouse. I included Mouse in many of our activities. If we went for a walk I would repeatedly say how much Mouse would enjoy this. I started to imagine how nice it would be to have a dog again. To have a constant companion. To watch it playfully bound after the 2 cats. To watch it get swatted at when the cats had enough. To curl up on the couch with Mouse after a long day at work. After several days of witty light hearted banter back and forth, Husband asked, “Do we need to have a serious conversation about a dog?”
As soon as he asked this question I went into overthinking mode. No, we couldn’t afford a dog. Our landlord wouldn’t be happy. The cats wouldn’t be happy. I wasn’t ready for another dog. Who would look after it? Then came the big one; what if Mouse got sick and died just like my previous baby Ziva?
Husband, as usual had the answers to these questions and then some. If we can afford 2 cats, 2 fish and a child, we could afford a dog. The landlord knew about Ziva, therefore another dog wouldn’t be an issue. The cats would adjust and show the puppy who was boss, just like they had with Ziva. A dog would offer a bit more security as it would bark if someone came to the door. A dog would encourage more active family adventures. A dog would be company if Husband was ever away.
The more he talked the more I realised, he was making sense, a strange and rare occurrence. So I let him talk, occasionally throwing in a comment here and there. By the end of a lengthy conversation/debate/lecture I asked, “So are we getting a dog then?” “No,” he replied, “We are getting 2 dogs.” I’m sorry what now?! He went on to explain, “If you are getting a small doggie, I want a bigger, more active doggie.” My mind boggled. Again I say what now?! Suddenly there was a need for more discussion. How did we go from one teeny tiny pug to 2 doggos??
That was when I remembered the difference between me and Husband was the old saying “go big or go home”. He was the go big part and I was the go home part. He goes from 0-60 in mere seconds. Within minutes, he was on the phone googling Dogs Trust and filling out the online application form. And what was I doing you may ask. I was still trying to process what had just happened. I sighed.
In work I was telling an animal mad co-worker about the previous nights events and she pointed out that 2 doggos might not be the best idea with Husband’s up coming surgery (more on this later). This made me realise that a big doggo might not be the best thing for Husband’s recovery. Cue another conversation/debate/lecture.
Back at home he conceded the point that a big dog might be too much. He then attempted to reassure me that it would take months for Dogs Trust to find a suitable doggie to join our motley crew of 1 adult, 1 husband, 1 BB, 2 cats and 2 fish. Feeling slightly reassured that the bigger, more active doggo would arrive months after Husband had time to recover, I went back to my happy, little Mouse bubble.
At this point Mouse was barely 1 week old, so I knew that I was getting waay ahead of myself. But I think it’s safe to say that I was ready for a new dog in my life. Now don’t get me wrong, I know it’s not going to be a walk in the park. Puppy training Ziva was no easy task and introducing her to the cats wasn’t exactly plain sailing. Then when she died, it was devastating. She was my baby and after 9 years, she broke my heart into pieces. But, as Husband reminded me, she gave me 9 wonderful years of fun and happiness. She was as much a part of my family as Husband or BB. In fact, I often joked (sort of) that if we ever got divorced, he could have BB and I would take Ziva!! Then one day, there was no more Ziva. A light had gone out in our house.
Fast forward 2 years and here I was contemplating a new light. I had plenty of time to give it enough thought and consideration and to properly prepare for it’s arrival. After all a puppy comes with as many accoutrements as a baby. I had just about come around to the idea of a small dog in October and a bigger dog after Christmas.
Then Husband rang and dashed my tidy timeline to pieces. A lovely woman from Dogs Trust had rang him with a puppy match for us. Husband had assured me that there would be hundreds of people on the list before us waiting for their perfect pup. Sadly, this was not true and Dogs Trust, like all rescues and pounds are absolutely heaving with dogs. Not enough perfect homes and too many Covid puppies and unneutered dogs. But that is a post for another day. The point is a dog is not just for lockdown or Christmas people, it’s a 15 year commitment! And I’m getting carried away again.
Back to my tail (get it, tale, tail, never mind). After much debate again and research into the puppy, the breed, and it’s needs etc. it looks like we are getting a puppy much sooner than anticipated. Husband sprang into action! He bought a crate and a license. He started to prepare the garden for its new inhabitant. Again, he went from 0-60 in seconds.
Then started the name game. Max came out on top. That was until he discovered that the puppy was, in fact another girl to add to our female heavy household. Poor Husband. He thought he was finally getting someone for his team. Oh well. The name game started again. This time he picked Minnie. I had to put my foot down. We were not having 2 doggos called Minnie and Mouse, especially if Minnie was going to be not so mini. No, no, he was sent back to the drawing board. It took several days but he finally came back with a winner. So here we are preparing for the arrival of Bailey, the Dutch Shepard.
I am incredibly nervous and almost feel like I am preparing for a battle rather than a puppy. The Dutch Shepard is an active, intelligent breed by all accounts and will need plenty of stimulation, training and exercise, which I hope we will be able to provide. We haven’t told BB yet, its a surprise for her but I have told a few people. Some were supportive and gave plenty of good advice. A few more were quick to point out the flaws in our plan. While I appreciate all the input from far and wide, I already have the negatives covered. When it comes to the negative, no one can overthink like me!
Husband keeps asking if I am excited yet? The answer is no, I am too worried to be excited. I’m worried that Bailey will be too much of a handful, that she wont like the cats or vice versa. I’m worried that she will put me off getting Mouse, that puppy training will be the end of me. I’m worried that our garden will not be big enough for her or that we will be too lazy to exercise her.
Most of all I’m worried that I wont like her. She is a much bigger doggo than I was expecting. I know all doggos are hard work but a Dutch Shepard, I think, will be a complete shock to the system. Husband is very excited, he is like a child on Christmas morning and I am a nervous wreck. He is excited enough for the both of us and I am nervous enough for the both of us with some to spare.
But none of this matters really. The only thing that really matters is that in a few short days, a Dutch Shepard named Bailey will become a part of our family. She will be loved and she will be disliked. She will cause untold worry and hopefully bring endless joy. The point is that Bailey will be one less doggo in a pound and that’s good enough for me.
